Inspired by Carol Ann Duffy’s bold and imaginative collection The World’s Wife, the NEHS Poetry Writing & Performance Challenge invites student members to step into the shoes of someone often left in the shadows: the partner. Participants will write and perform an original poem from the perspective of the spouse, partner, or companion of a famous historical, mythological, literary, or pop culture figure. Whether humorous, heartfelt, or subversive, these poetic monologues should reveal untold stories and fresh viewpoints—just as Duffy reimagined Anne Hathaway, Mrs. Midas, Queen Kong, and others. This is your opportunity to give voice to the unseen and reframe the familiar through powerful, performative poetry.
Read more about Carol Ann Duffy, browse The World’s Wife, and read the whole collection.
Awards
Winning students will be notified by email and will have their written work and performance video published on the NEHS Museletter blog. All winning students will be candidates to receive Creative Challenge Champion prizes at the end of the year.
Eligibility
Applicants must be NEHS student members enrolled in a school with an active NEHS chapter.
Submission Requirements
- Student writers should read a selection of poems from Carol Ann Duffy’s The World’s Wife. They should craft a poem in response to Duffy’s work, of no more than one page in length, from the perspective of the spouse, partner, or companion of a famous historical, mythological, literary, or pop culture figure.
- Students must then make a high-quality recording of themselves performing their poem.
Submission Process
- All submissions must be made via the NEHS AwardSpring platform during the Fall Awards Cycle.
- Student members must upload a Microsoft Word file (.doc/.docx) of the poem written by the applicant.
- Student members must upload video of the poem being performed by the author (the sound quality must be high) in the AwardSpring platform in .MOV or .MP4 format. Any videos that cannot be immediately accessed by our evaluation team will be disqualified from the competition.
- Applicants must complete demographic data questions prior to submitting their documentation.
- All student writers must include a 150-word (max.) third-person biography and high-resolution portrait photo.
- Applicants must agree that they are willing to provide a written report and photos detailing the impact the creative process and award has had on them, which can be used by NEHS to promote this and other opportunities in future years should they win an award.
Evaluation Process
All submissions will be evaluated by at least three members of the NEHS evaluation team.
The written part of the submission will be evaluated against a rubric containing (but not limited to) the following categories
- Message
- Use of conventions
- Form
- Technique
- Originality
The audio-visual part of the submission will be evaluated against a rubric containing (but not limited to) the following categories
- Voice and articulation
- Memory and accuracy
- Quality of presentation
Poetry Writing & Performance Resources
Button Poetry: videos of performance poetry and tips on performance techniques
