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The St. Louis Poetry Center is inviting all high school students within 100 miles of St. Louis to submit up up to three poems to the Beverly Hopkins memorial contest. At their annual performance concert in the spring, students will get a chance to win cash prizes and an exclusive performance.

Poems cannot be submitted if they have been previously awarded, but can be previously published in school publications, and can be students’ own work on any subject or topic.

Suzanne Buffam, author of A Pillow Book, a 2016 New York Times top ten poetry anthology will be judging this year’s submissions. Buffam graduated from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop and has since published three poetry books.

First prize for the contest will receive a $225 cash prize, along with $125 and $75 cash prizes for second and third place winners, respectively. The deadline to enter by mail or email is March 1, 2018, and the awards ceremony will be held May 20, 2018 at the Focal Point in Maplewood, Mo.