I need to stop finding these contests a day before the deadline!

The Foley Poetry Contest: America Media is sponsoring the annual Foley Poetry Award, given in honor of William T. Foley, M.D.

• Submit one poem of 30 lines or fewer.
• Only unpublished poems not under consideration elsewhere will be considered.
• Poems may address any topic.

**Submissions must be received between midnight ET on January 1 and 11:59 p.m. ET on March 31, 2017.**

There’s a postal mail address, but I’d use their Submittable instead!

The winning poem will be announced in early June and published in the print edition of America. The cash prize is $1,000.

Get all the details and submit here.

The contest requires a cover letter. I had never written a cover letter for poetry submission before, but I suspected (hoped) it would be a simple process. Thanks to Writer’s Digest, it is. For better or for worse, here’s mine, with all due consideration!

Dear Mr. Hoover,

Please consider the attached 21-line poem, “Make and Mend,” as an entry in the Foley Poetry Contest.

I have an English degree and am a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Thank you for your time and consideration.

And here is a great, quick guide from Writer’s Digest (love that site) on How to Prepare Poetry Manuscript Submissions.

Good luck!