Submissions for the 2027 contest will be accepted between Nov. 1, 2026, and Jan. 31, 2027. Past winners are posted below.
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.
According to Professor Mercedes Bern-Klug, who initiated the national poetry contest, “In Iowa City, writing is the air we breathe." The University of Iowa is known as 'The Writing University’ and Iowa City is a UNESCO City of Literature.
Annually, the top three poems are published in the April issue of The New Social Worker, in celebration of National Poetry Month.
Rules for submission
- Students, faculty, or alumni from United States CSWE-accredited social work programs may participate in the contest.
- There is no cost to enter.
- Only one submission is allowed per person, per year.
- The poem must be an original work by the person entering the contest.
- Entries will be judged on relevance to the experience of being a social worker (50%), poetic technique, style, creativity, and effectiveness (50%). Winning poems must be suitability for public display before a general audience.
- Poems will be judged by a panel consisting of social workers, writers, and/or poets.
- The deadline for submission is January 31, 2027, by 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
- The poem must be no more than 15 lines (the title does NOT count as one of the 15).
- An excerpt from a longer poem will be considered if it can stand alone.
- Previously published poems are not eligible for this contest
- Poems must be submitted online. No paper or email submissions will be accepted.
- Submissions for the 2027 contest will be accepted between Nov. 1, 2026, and Jan. 31, 2027.
The top three submissions will be awarded cash prizes and will be published on The New Social Worker website during National Poetry Month in April. Submissions that meet the contest criteria may also be published on the University of Iowa School of Social Work website and/or social media.
- First prize: $200
- Second prize: $100
- Third prize: $50
Note: A check from the University of Iowa will be mailed to contest winners. In order to send a check, we will ask for your social security number.
Past winners
2026 winners
Previous winners
2025
- Amanda Lilly, University of Wisconsin-Superior (Superior, WI)
- Dr. Kryss Shane, Thomas University (Thomasville, GA)
- Sabrina Sullenberger, Belmont University (Nashville, TN)
2024
- Carrie Gilman, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)
- Kristin Bartley Lenz, Wayne State University (Detroit, MI)
- Fara Tucker, Portland State University (Portland, OR)
2023
- Laura Gaudette, University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
- A. Gallup, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Meggie Royer, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
2022
- Devin Dierks, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL)
- Honor Heindl, Washington University (Albuquerque, NM)
- Sara Shilling, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (Durham, NC)
2021
- Rebecca Saenz, University of Houston (Houston, TX)
- Kadence Mitchell, Columbia University School of Social Work (Henderson, NV)
- Kerriann Kelleher, Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA)
2020
- Sandra Braine, Dominican University (River Forest, IL)
- Lacy Cunningham, Metropolitan State University of Denver (Denver, CO)
- Matthew Parra, Boston University School of Social Work (Boston, MA)
2019
- Aisha Naseem, University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
- Kristin Bartley Lenz, Wayne State University (Detroit, MI)
- Elizabeth Weiss, University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
2018
- Christopher Joseph, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Angela Chaney, Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
- Brittany Humphrey, Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)
2016
- Leslie Olson, University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)
- Rebecca Thieman, Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)
- Christopher Joseph, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
2015
- Sarah Trotta, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
- Patrick Scott Feagans, George Mason University (Fairfax, VA)
- Jessica Greenbaum, New York University (New York City, NY)
2014
- Marjorie Thomsen, The Catholic University of America (Washington, DC)
- Nahomi Martinez, University of Texas at El Paso (El Paso, TX)
- Joel Izlar, University of Georgia (Athens, GA)
2013
- Jonathan Knight Palley, University of California—Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
- Sarah Pettit Dawson, University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)
- Catherine Crandall, University of Georgia (Athens, GA)
2012
- Anna Forbes, Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)
- Sara Staggs, University of Houston (Houston, TX)
- Mary Ann Getse, Washington University (St. Louis, MO)
