Submit Your Poem
National Poetry Contest for Social Workers
Accepting poem submissions between October 1, 2019, and January 31, 2020
The University of Iowa School of Social Work conducts an annual, nationwide poetry contest to acknowledge the creative talent of social workers and to draw attention to social work as a profession.
“Hosting the national poetry contest here in Iowa City is a natural extension of what the School of Social Work has been doing for decades," says faculty member Mercedes Bern-Klug, one of the contest's founders. "We have a 28-year track record of offering a creative writing seminar for social workers--and the University of Iowa is known as 'The Writing University.' In Iowa City--recognized internationally as a UNESCO City of Literature--writing is the air we breathe."
The contest is open to students, faculty, and alumni from United States CSWE-accredited social work programs. Full contest rules, details, and submission forms are available at: https://clas.uiowa.edu/socialwork/resources/creative-writing-social-workers
As in previous years, the top 3 poems will receive cash prizes and will be published in The New Social Worker magazine.