2023 Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award topic: “Social Justice”

The theme for the 24th annual Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award is “Social Justice,” an opportunity for students to reflect on the injustice that people of all genders have experienced, both socially and institutionally.

The competition is sponsored by Dr. Jeanneth Vázquez, professor of Spanish, and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program.

The prize for first place is $75, second place $50, and third place $30.  

Submissions of unpublished material should include three copies delivered to Jennifer Milner, Swenson 102. Students may submit no more than three submissions.

The submission deadline is Monday, April 3, 2023.

In addition to recognizing excellence, the award is designed to encourage student poets to submit their work for consideration. Entries are judged on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization and artistic quality. 

The award is named in honor Dr. Vázquez' parents, Honorato Vazquez and Angelica Valarezo, writers who worked in the field of education in Ecuador for 35 years.