The International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA) is proud to present its inaugural Young Armenian Poets Awards. This annual contest will provide a platform for exciting new Armenian writers between the ages of 14-18.
This year’s contest will be judged by Gregory Djanikian, Mashinka Firunts Hakopian, and Raffi Wartanian. The judges will evaluate poems based on the poet’s invention, technical skill, and the emergence of a unique voice or vision. The top three poems will be published in the online cultural arts magazine h-pem.
Winners will each receive a $50 award. Additionally, one of the three writers selected will be invited to serve as IALA’s Young People’s Laureate for 2021 and join the organization’s biannual advisory board meetings to voice the needs of the future generation of Armenian writers.
IALA encourages submissions from any young writer who identifies as Armenian, no matter gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, national origin, socio-economic class, educational background, personal style/appearance, citizenship and immigration status or political affiliation.
Deadline for submission is May 14, 2021.
Click here for the full submission guidelines and application.
