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Here’s how to enter The Copper Courier’s third annual poetry contest

The winner of our third annual Copper Courier poetry contest will be invited to be a featured reader at our July open mic in Phoenix.

man holding book on stage reading into microphone toward seated audience
A poet reads to an audience at The Copper Courier poetry open mic at Meraki Kava Bar on Aug. 7, 2024. (Photo by Jessica Swarner)

This year’s Copper Courier poetry contest has a theme: “Arizona.”

Want to share your writing with the world? 

We’re launching our third annual Copper Courier poetry contest, and the winner of the competition will be invited to be a featured reader at our July 2 open mic at Meraki Kava Bar in north Phoenix. 

The top three submissions will be published on our website, shared in our newsletter, and posted on our social media accounts—reaching a total audience of over 300,000 people!

We’ve had so much fun with these contests over the last two years, and we feel privileged to be able to highlight the poetic talent we have in the state. Part of The Copper Courier’s mission is to protect democracy by strengthening communities, and we believe sharing art is an important part of that!

RELATED: Meet the winners of The Copper Courier’s second annual poetry contest

Last year, we received 100 submissions, and I’m hoping to top that number this year. 

Submitting is easy—anyone who lives in Arizona can head to this form and give us either one written poem, or a video presenting a poem, by May 31. 

One note, though: This year’s contest has a theme, and it’s “Arizona.” That can mean a lot of different things, so feel free to interpret it in the way you’d like. 

The Copper Courier judges will evaluate poems based on things like uniqueness, lyricism, memorable imagery, emotional depth, and adherence to the theme. But they don’t have to be totally serious—we love a funny poem, too!

Even if you’ve never shared your work before, feel free to send something our way. You never know what words may connect with us and our audience. 

Good luck. We can’t wait to read your work!

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Jessica Swarner
Jessica Swarner Newsletter Editor
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