Julius Sokenu Poetry Awards
The Julius Sokenu Poetry Awards is a lively annual event honoring the best poetry in English and Spanish by CT State Community College Quinebaug Valley students. Awards are also given to high school students at the Quinebaug Middle College. Student award winners will be honored in a celebration each April.
Prize Categories and Eligibility
Prizes
1st Prize $100
2nd Prize: $50
3rd Prize: $50
Student award winners must attend and share their work at the celebration night to receive their prizes. Those who do not attend will forfeit their awards. Contact us for support or coaching!
This contest is only open to CT State students whose home campus is Quinebaug Valley. High school students, including those at QMC, enrolled in any CT State QV course are considered CT State Community College students. No employees of CT State Community College, other than student workers, are eligible to participate in the contest.
- QV English: Open to all full- and part-time Quinebaug Valley students only, including any high school student taking a course at CT State QV.
- Spanish (Heritage Speakers): Open to all full- and part-time Quinebaug Valley students or QMC students for whom Spanish is their first language.
- Spanish (Non-Heritage Speakers): Open to all full- and part-time Quinebaug Valley students or QMC students for whom Spanish is not their first language.
- Performance Poetry: Open to all full- and part-time Quinebaug Valley students or QMC students.
- QMC English: Open to QMC students only. QMC students taking CT State QV courses qualify for QV English but not QMC English.
Submission Deadline is Thursday, April 9, 2026, by 11:59 p.m.
Celebration Night
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Honored Guest Poet: Stephanie Pacheco
Location: CT State QV-Willimantic Center
729 Main Street, Willimantic, CT 06226
Room: Townsend Community Room (WM101)
Contest Rules and Guidelines
- Submissions must be entered by the deadline.
- Students may submit up to three original poems per eligible category, but can win only one award per category.
- Student entries may be scrutinized using AI and plagiarism detection software. Poems written using AI or language that is not the student’s own (other than short quotations indicated as such and credited) will be disqualified, and the student will face possible disciplinary procedure. Refer to page 62 of the CT State Student Handbook.
- Submissions are read and judged blind by a committee of QV faculty and staff. To protect this process, your name must NOT appear in the document containing your poem. The form will create the ID link between poems and poets, which is necessary to identify prize winners after the poems are judged. Again, the form will ensure that we know you are the author of any poem you submit.
- Prizes are offered in all five categories: 1st place $100 / 2nd place $50 / 3rd place $50. The committee reserves the right not to grant an award, to choose co-winners, and to add honorable mentions.
- Submissions must be made online. Use the form to submit your poem(s) as an attachment. If you need assistance, contact Deneuve Bastien at QV-Library@ctstate.edu.
- The poem file must be saved using a Word document.
- If submitting in the prize category of QV and QMC Performance Poetry, students must submit both a Word document file AND an audio file.
- Student award winners are expected to attend and share their work at the celebration night. Students who do not attend the celebration night will not receive the prizes associated with their award. Please reach out to us if you have concerns about attending. We provide coaching and support!
Contact Us
Jon Andersen | Email: jonathan.andersen@ctstate.edu | Phone: 860-932-4054
Deneuve Bastien | Email: QV-Library@ctstate.edu | Phone: 860-932-4119