Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
Offered by Hollins University
About This Scholarship
Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia (home to one of the country's best-known creative writing programs) has run the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest since 1963 in memory of a Hollins student poet. The contest recognizes outstanding poems by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school, a rare award window for students who aren't yet seniors.
Entrants submit one or two unpublished poems. The first-place winner receives a $350 cash prize, publication in Hollins' student literary magazine Cargoes, free tuition and housing for the university's Hollinsummer creative writing program, and a renewable scholarship worth up to $5,000 per year if she later enrolls at Hollins. Six second-place winners also see their poems published in Cargoes and receive renewable Hollins scholarships of up to $1,000 plus a $500 scholarship toward Hollinsummer.
The current cycle is accepting entries now with a deadline of October 31, 2026, and there is no entry fee. Poems that have won school-level honors are still eligible as long as they haven't been published elsewhere.
Eligibility
- Young women in their sophomore or junior year of high school
- U.S. citizen
- Submit one or two original, unpublished poems not under consideration elsewhere
- No entry fee
How To Apply
- Choose your one or two strongest unpublished poems
- Submit them through the contest page at hollins.edu by October 31, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to attend Hollins to benefit?
The $350 first-place cash prize, magazine publication, and Hollinsummer awards apply regardless. The larger renewable scholarships (up to $5,000 per year for first place) apply if the winner later enrolls at Hollins University.
Why is it limited to sophomores and juniors?
The contest was designed to encourage young poets early, before college application season, and to connect them with Hollins' creative writing community through the Hollinsummer program.