Ohio Poetry Association Blog

Once again in 2026, our friends at the Ohio Poetry Day Association are accepting nominations for the Ohio Poet of the Year. This is the 50th year of handing out the award, which is given for a single book of poetry published in the previous year. Past winners include Mary Oliver, Maggie Smith, David Baker, and Yalie Saweda Kamara. Guidelines are provided below.  Nomination Guidelines   The poet must be a native or a resident of Ohio or, if neither, must have previously lived in Ohio and established close ties to the state. There is no form to fill out, no fee, and no letter of recommendation is necessary. Books must be nominated by other people, such as a publisher, editor, poet colleague or poetry group. Book length: at least 48 pages of poetry.   The page count does not include: Title Pages, acknowledgments, illustrations, photographs, or end matter, such as notes. Nominated books may be from a commercial, university, small or hybrid press, or self-published, but vanit...

Our friends at the Ohio Poetry Day Association have announced their annual contests!  May 15, 2026, is the deadline (postmark)  for two dozen contest categories. Categories include humor, formal poems, parody and more. As always, a “Welcome Aboard” category for first-time submitters and an art category to design the cover art for the 2026  Best of Ohio Poetry Day  anthology are also open to submissions.  Below is a copy of the submission form, which provides full contest information.  Ohio Poetry Day 2026 will take place in October in Toledo, Ohio. Stay up to date on event information, including the event date, location, and agenda, by getting your name and address on the OPD mailing list. To do so, contact: Amy Jo Zook 3520 State Route 56 Mechanicsburg, OH 43044 Checks for all contest fees and purchases should be made payable to: Ohio Poetry Day . For questions, call (937) 834-2666. Click and download the image below to view it at full size.