Adult Literary Arts
The Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival is proud to sponsor our annual Poetry & Short Story Contest, open to anyone writing in English. We encourage all national and international writers to practice their craft by submitting previously unpublished poems and short stories to be juried. Since 1975, our non-profit organization has striven to bring the arts and humanities to the community of Westmoreland County. Our Poetry & Short Story Contest allows us to do so while providing an exceptional forum for writers and poets to present their original work.
Two jurors are selected each year. One juror is chosen to evaluate poetry submissions and a second juror is responsible for reviewing short stories. Winners are notified by the end of March and their works are then displayed at our annual Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival for visitors to read. All cash prize winners and honorable mention recipients are also invited to read their works live onstage at the Festival.
2019 PSS Entry Form
If you are typing directly onto the entry form, you must save the application to your computer before adding the requested information.
Once you add the information save the document again before printing or attaching to an email.
Postmark Deadline: January 18, 2019
Meet Our 2019 Jurors
Information and images coming soon.
JoAnn Balingit
Laurel Black
Dr. Laurel Johnson Black is an Associate Professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She teaches courses in composition, creative writing, law and literature, and language. She has published She has read her work in numerous locations and has published a book, articles, poems, and memoirs. She has conducted workshops on creative writing in the public schools and judged many speech and writing contests.
Congratulations to Our 2018 Poetry & Short Story Contest Winners!
Poetry Awards:
- Westmoreland Award: “Cave Felem” by Earl Keener – Bethany, WV
- First Place: “At The Bluff” by David Dillon – West Glover, VT
- Second Place: “Burial” by Paul Marx – Towson, MD
- Third Place: “Lost in the Shuffle” by Carol Williams – York, PA
- Honorable Mention: “Interior Dialogue” by Louise Kantro – Modesto, CA
- Honorable Mention: “Can’tilevered – The Shadow to the Skald” by Earl Keener – Bethany, WV
- Honorable Mention: “The Proper Study of Mankind 101” by Carol Williams – York, PA
Short Story Awards:
- Westmoreland Award: “The Tightrope Walker” by Jamie Brian – Jeannette, PA
- First Place: “Evening Star” by Sandra Gould Ford – Pittsburgh, PA
- Second Place: “Delivery” by Laura Lovic-Lindsay – Lyndora, PA
- Third Place: “Amazons” by Linda Barnhart – Womelsdorf, PA
- Honorable Mention: “A Student in Anthro” by Danielle Ann Lesnock – Winter Garden, FL
- Honorable Mention: “In the Compnay of Flags” by Sharon Pruchnik – Windber, PA
- Honorable Mention: “Emanuel” by Sarah Santoni – Bridgeville, PA