2014 Gabriela Mistral Poetry Prize – $500
(Deadline: August 31, 2014)
$16.00 USD, $10.00 USD
This is Cobalt’s third annual poetry writing prize and with the addition of our new poetry editor we’ve decided to rename the prize to honor the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature in 1945.
Chilean Poet Gabriela Mistral is known worldwide for her humanitarian work and her poetry. She was an educator, a diplomat, and a poet. Her poetry explores themes of love and loss, pleasure and pain, dream and truth–the wide range of the human spirit and emotion. She came from modest beginnings, born in a small town in 1889 near the Chilean Andes Mountains, raised by a single mother. Mistral was self-taught. Being denied admittance to pursue a degree she persevered and earned a teaching certificate. After teaching for many years in Chile, she went on to an appointment as a diplomat for the Chilean government, and taught at various universities in the United States. It is with her spirit of determination in mind that we inaugurate this prize in her name.
This year’s judge, Ruben Quesada, describes the poems he’s looking for by saying, “My formal writers’ guidelines are best described by the poems I enjoy reading. Though, at the heart of all good writing is storytelling. The language of the poet must convey meaningful experiences with acuity for sight, sound, and emotion.”
One (1) Winner will be selected in the Poetry category, as well as one or more runners-up, depending on the quality of the work we receive (with a maximum of five).
The winner will receive a prize of $500 in addition to publication and contributor copies. Runners-up will receive publication and contributor copies.
Guidelines for the Poetry Category:
1. Submission in the poetry category is limited to three pages of poetry.
2. Submissions on any topic are admissible.
3. Each new poem should begin on a new page. No single poem submitted should be more than two pages.
4. On the actual poem document, include a submission title and number of poems submitted. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME, EMAIL, OR OTHER IDENTIFYING FEATURES.
5. Previously published work will not be accepted.
If you are unsure if your work would be considered previously published, email cobalt@cobaltreview.com before submitting and we will help you decide.