The Walter and Nancy Kidd
Memorial Writing Competition
in Poetry and Fiction
The Walter and Nancy Kidd Memorial Writing Competition in Poetry and Fiction (the "Kidd Competition") is held each spring and is open to all undergraduates currently enroled at the University of Oregon. First, second and third place prizes are awarded in each genre (poetry and fiction). Winners receive a monetary award and a certificate that includes remarks from the competition judge in their genre.
The Creative Writing Program invites two nationally know authors (one poet, one fiction writer) to judge student manuscripts. Past judges have included Mark Jarman, Miriam Gershow, Frederick Busch, B. H. Fairchild, Mark Doty, Rosellen Brown, Mary Gaitskill, Yusef Komunyakaa, Sharon Olds, Gerald Stern, Susan Straight, Edward Hirsch, Charles Baxter, Eavan Boland, Tobias Wolfe, Antonya Nelson, Richard Bausch, Richard Tillinghast, and N. Scott Momaday.
The 2013 judges are Linda Gregerson (poetry) and Edith Pearlman (fiction).
Eligibility
Open to all undergraduates currently enrolled at the University of Oregon. Participation in the Kidd Tutorial Program is not required. Submissions previously appearing in University of Oregon publications which showcase undergraduate work (such as UNBOUND) are acceptable; however, all other published work is ineligible.
Guidelines
Entrants may submit in both genres.
- Poetry: Submit up to two (2) poems.
- Fiction: Submit one story up to 20 pages (double spaced)
Cover Page
Contest title ("Kidd Prize"), contestant's full name, UO ID, address, phone, UO email, and title(s) of work submitted.
Manuscript Header
Contestant's UO ID (no name), title of work, and page number.
Manuscript Content
Typed using a 12-point standard font in black ink only on 8-1/2" x 11" white paper.
Manuscripts will not be returned and those that do not meet these guidelines will be disqualified.
Submission Deadline
Entries must be submitted to 108 Alder Building by noon of the deadline posted.
Selection & Award
This contest is judged by guest authors participating in the Creative Writing Program's annual Reading Series (Spring term). Winners are announced during the last Reading Series event, so all contestants are encouraged to attend.
All Kidd Tutorial Program scholarships and awards are subject to student need for financial assistance as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. All disbursements are made through Student Accounts (balances due may be subtracted from the award amount).
Past Winners
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| 2011 Kidd Prize Winners, from left to right: Debbi Cassidy, Baily Meyers, Ian Geronimo, Kevin Burnside, Maya Rinta, Edward Earl. |
| 2012 | Andrew Hudgins |
Poetry |
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize Honorable Mention |
Lauren Greenhall Edward Earl Noelle Petrowski Roxanne Mckee |
"December" "To Sit Across The Sea and Think of Al-Quds" "All That I Touch" "Phoenix High Valentine" |
| Randall Kenan |
Fiction |
|
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Faire Holliday Rebecca Freeman Matthew Tellam |
"How Cassandra Resurfaces Now and Again" "Devil in Her Pocket" "Love is What Love is What Love is" |
| 2011 | William Logan |
Poetry |
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Edward Earl Maya Rinta Kevin Burnside |
"Leaving Sulaymaniyah" "Dusk Closes In" "The River Lethe" |
| Margot Livesey |
Fiction |
|
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Ian Geronimo Bailey Meyers Debbi Cassidy |
"Care and the Era" "Vulnerant Omnes" "House of Saints" |
| 2010 | Mark Jarman |
Poetry |
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Thomas McCrone Elissa Hall Erin Grady |
"Sharing History" "The Cry" "Conversations Behind Conversations" |
| Miriam Gershow |
Fiction |
|
| 1st prize 2nd prize |
Kevin Armstrong Brenna Crotty |
"Tattoo" "Long" |
| 2009 | Richard Tillinghast | Poetry |
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Anna Nakano-Baker Nick Bernard Ross Concillo |
"Claire Came Home for New Year's" "The Arborist" "Waiting for the Bus at Night" |
| Richard Bausch | Fiction |
|
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Kevin Armstrong Christopher Bradley Kurt Spickerman |
"Camping with Patsy Cline" "Another Time Capsule" "Something Like Happiness" |
| 2008 | N. Scott Momaday | Poetry |
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Joey Eberhart-Garah Hajara Quinn Shelly Emerson |
"The Sea & The Island" "Country Song" "Broken" |
| Antonya Nelson | Fiction |
|
| 1st prize 2nd prize 3rd prize |
Jason Curtis Thayer Leslee Chan Benjamin Woods |
"21" "My Grocery List" "Lost Things" |
Click here to see winners from previous years.