Illinois Emerging Writers Competition welcomes entries

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White  has announced that entry forms are available for the 14th annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition. 

Winners will receive the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award.

“We created the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition to promote creative writing and provide an outlet for talented writers,” White said in a news release. 

“Great poems have the ability to enrich and enhance our lives, and I am looking forward to celebrating talented poets with this year’s competition.”

The award is named in honor of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks and is cosponsored by the Illinois Center for the Book.

The competition is open to Illinois residents age 18 and over. Entries must be postmarked by June 30. 

Cash prizes will be awarded for first ($500), second ($300) and third place ($100). 

Winners will read their poems at a ceremony later this year at the Illinois State Library in Springfield.

Entry forms can be found at http://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/center_for_the_book.