Monthly Contests are a feature of each regular meeting and the Summer Conference (October through July, excluding November). Entries in Monthly Contests are mailed to the Monthly Contest Chairman who numbers all entries and prepares a record of entries and authors. The General Contest entries are then mailed to the Critic Judge who selects the top three winning poems and the ten poems to be read at the monthly PST meeting to be voted on by those present. The Critic Judge then returns all entries to the Chairman who identifies the winning authors by name, and notifies the President, the Treasurer and the Recording Secretary. The Chairman is responsible for selecting the Critic Judge and the Reader each month. Special Contest entries are handled as the sponsor specifies.

• General Contest
Only one poem of any type not to exceed 28 lines may be entered. From the poems entered, the Critic Judge for the month selects one poem to receive the Critic’s Award, also second place and third place winners. He also selects ten additional poems to be read at the meeting and to be judged by audience vote for: Popular Prize, Nortex Prize, A Galaxy of Verse Prize, Lubbe Award, Lynch Award, and Siegel Award.

• The Critic’s Award, $25.00; second prize, $9.00; third prize, $5.00.
The poem winning the Critic’s Award will be printed in the Society’s current A Book of the Year. Prior to that, it may not be published elsewhere, but thereafter full rights revert to the author. From the nine monthly winners, an Annual Critic’s Award will be selected to receive $50.00.

• The Popular Prize. For the poem receiving the largest number of votes at the monthly meeting, the author will receive a poetry book selected by the Society.

• The Nortex Prize. For the poem receiving the second largest number of votes, a copy of a book published by Nortex Press will be awarded by Sunbelt Media, Inc. (Eakin Publications, Inc.) of Austin.

• A Galaxy of Verse Prize. For the poem receiving the third largest number of votes, a current copy of A Galaxy of Verse will be given.

• The Lubbe Award. For the poem receiving the fourth largest number of votes, a book from the Catherine Case Lubbe library will be awarded.

• The Lynch Award. For the poem receiving the fifth largest number of votes, the prize will be a book presented by Peggy Zuleika Lynch.

• Special Contest
• Laugh Lines Award. For the best humorous poem, 16-line limit, $7.50 award.
Sponsored by James Dimmette. The previous winner judges the Contest.

Rules Governing Monthly Contests

1. Monthly Contests are open only to active dues-paid members, life members and officers.

2. Only one poem, not to exceed 28 lines, the original work of the contestant, may be entered in the General Contest, and only one in each Special Contest. Check Special Contest line length rules.

3. A poem is not eligible which, in whole or in part, has been published in print, presented over radio, television or on the Internet, accepted for publication, is in the hands of an editor for consideration, or entered in any contest running concurrently.

4. An eligible poem may not be withdrawn after its submission. The winner of the Critic’s Award is ineligible to enter the following month’s General Contest, only a Special Contest. (The July winner may not enter the October General Contest, only a Special Contest.)

5. Submit two typewritten copies for each contest entered marked general contest or special contest, designating which Special Contest, should there be more than one. The name of the author must not appear on entry; enclose a separate sheet showing title of poems and the author’s name and address.

6. The Monthly Contest Chairman will eliminate entries that fail to conform to the rules.

7. The Critic Judge’s decision is final.

8. Entries must be mailed to:

David Bowman
P.O. Box 37113
Haltom City, TX 76117
poetdavidbowman@aol.com