C O N T E S T S
2025 Our Lady of the Rosary Poetry Contest
2025 Poetry Contest:
Our Lady of the Rosary
Catholic Literary Arts (CLA) encourages you to write poems reflecting on The Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary.
Inspired by the eternal truths contained in the mysteries of the rosary’s devotional practices and prayers, poets with find an abundance of spiritual inspiration in this prized Marian devotion.
The beginning date for this contest is July 14, 2025, and the ending date is 11:59 p.m. CST on September 15, 2025.
An entry for this contest is limited to 32 lines, not including the title and stanza breaks.
Each submission to the contest will be judged according to the effectiveness of the use of language, imagery, and Sacred Tradition.
Faith to write new poetry which uses the rich traditions and images of the Catholic faith to bring God into today’s world through original, contemporary poetry. The poems will write and the poems you will read from this contest contribute to the on-going Catholic Literary Revival.
Tamara Nicholl-Smith’s poetry has been featured on numerous radio shows, a spoken-word classical piano fusion CD, and public appearances. It has also appeared in print in many publications, including The Examined Life Journal, Catholic Arts Today and America. She is a popular faculty member for the Catholic Literary Arts/ virtual class series and longtime CLA member. Tamara inaugurated the CLA School Visits by a Catholic Poet in 2025.
Her poem on Saint Jerome is part of the display of the Guttenberg Bible installed at the University of Saint Thomas. Houston, Texas. Tamara is a member of Catholic Literary Arts and a contributor to the “Joy of Catholic Poetry” and “Resurrection Joy” presentations done at parishes, schools, and universities. She coordinates the annual Catholic Literary Arts’ Sacred Poetry Contest which brings together poets from across the globe to write in response to curated artwork from both historical and contemporary sacred artists.
This year’s 2025 Contest Judge is Tamara Nicholl-Smith.
Contest Information
Submission Guidelines:
All submissions must be:
typed in 12-point font and submitted through Submittable in a Word file of .doc or .docx.
all work is blind-judged which means that the judge must not see the name of the author. Therefore, the author’s name must not appear on the submission or in the document’s file name.
original work that has not been published online or in a hard copy journal, magazine, or book.
the work must be the original creation of the person submitting the work
there is a line limit of 32 lines, not including the title or stanza breaks.
Submissions Period
This contest opens July 14, 2025, and closes September 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Submittable Guidelines
The electronic submissions platform for this contest is Submittable.
In order to use Submittable, you will need to create an account on their website, if you do not already have one. Creation of an account within Submittable is free.
If you have questions or problems with Submittable, please contact their Customer Service directly via their website, submittable.com.
Each writer may enter one poem.
Entry Fees
The entry fee per submission is $15.
Prizes/Awards
Prizes will be awarded in the poetry category as follows;
First prize, $75
Second Prize, $50
Third Prize, $25
First, second and third-place winners will receive a complimentary one-year membership in CLA.
Winners must complete IRS Form W-9 to receive payment in U.S. dollars.
Submit Your Entry
Please use this link to submit one poem. The Submittable form will direct you how to pay the submission fee. You will be given the option in Submittable to pay by credit card or via your PayPal account.
Celebration for Winners and Finalists
Catholic Literary Arts invites you to a virtual event through Zoom to celebrate the “Our Lady of the Rosary” Writing Contest’s winners and finalists.
These celebrations occur in a joyous virtual community eager to hear and share the writing of today’s writers of Faith. You’ll walk away inspired to write more yourself, and, we hope, inspired to further reflect on the beautiful Catholic Marian devotion of praying the rosary.
The virtual celebration will be Monday, October 6, 2025, at seven p.m. CST. It will last 60 minutes. Join us!