Poetry Scholarships

How to Find and Apply for Poetry Scholarships

There are many scholarships for students who enjoy poetry and creative writing. Poetry scholarships often nurture young poets, encouraging them to pursue higher education.

They also provide a forum for students to showcase their poetry and voice. If you win, you may get money and the chance to have your poetry published.

Many scholarships honor a past poet and their style of poetic writing. But give you an opportunity to share your talents as you wish. You may only have to submit original work in a specific format.

For other scholarships, you may need to stick to a theme or style of prose. One example is the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Award.

It asks for a sample of writing that relate to Jewish Experience. Although you do not need to be Jewish to take part.

How do you evaluate a poem?

Some of the criteria used to judge your poetry for a scholarship might include:

• Creativity
• Originality
• Imagery
• Artistic quality
• Mastery of poetic expression
• Theme or style requirements

Who offers poetry scholarships?

Poetry scholarships come from colleges, poetry magazines, foundations, community organizations and private donors.

To be eligible for a poetry scholarship, you usually need to be a U.S. citizen. Some also set age criteria. Or, in the case of the Amy Lowell Travelling Poetry Scholarship, be willing to travel.

Many such awards are from contests which any young and gifted poet might enter. In these cases, you may need to pay a submission fee for each poem you submit with your application.

This usually covers the cost of judges and administration. But if you don’t feel comfortable, move on to other options that are free. One example is the Scholarship Poetry Contest.

Available from the Live Poets Society of New Jersey, there is no fee to enter the contest. Prizes range from $100 to $500.

Can you go to college for poetry?

You can study poetry in college. When a college offers a poetry scholarship it may be for incoming or current students.

These merit awards are often for those pursuing a creative writing degree. Like an English degree or even a Master of Fine Arts (MFA).

Sometimes to get these scholarships you need to fill out a FAFSA. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid determines your financial need.

Why Consider Poetry Scholarships?

Getting a scholarship for your poems is gift money. It is one reason to apply because you do not need to pay the money back.

This may be a perfect way to fund a college degree. At last check, 42,795 students earned a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature.

While many people write because they enjoy the craft, others do it as a vocation. Professional writers and authors earn between $31,700 and $121,670.

If this is your goal, most writers and authors start out with at least a bachelor’s degree. Any experience they get along the way may improve chances of landing a job.

Top Poetry Scholarships

Many college’s English Department or writing center may have local poetry contests and scholarships to look into. Here are some top poetry scholarships that are easy to apply to.