Nota Bene Literary Competition

The deadline to apply is April 26, 2024, at 5PM CST.

Only Phi Theta Kappa members may submit manuscripts and visual art submissions. Members may only submit manuscripts and/or visual art while enrolled in a two-year degree program or one-year certificate program.

PTK members and alumni currently seeking bachelors, masters, or doctoral degrees or those no longer attending college are ineligible.

Poetry, short stories, essays, drama, and visual arts are accepted for consideration.

There is an overall limit of five (5) entries per person.

There are limits on the number of entries one person can submit in a single genre:

• No more than five (5) poems may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) short stories may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) essays may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) works of drama may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) works of visual art may be submitted.

No single entry may exceed 2,500 words. Works Cited Lists are not included in the word count.

For best results, we suggest uploading a PDF file. Please, only one entry per file.

While it is not necessary to add a cover sheet to your work, we do suggest that you use your name and the title of your work as a header on each page.

Visual arts entries: For best results, we suggest uploading a PDF file. Please, only one entry per file. Images should be at least 5-6 inches in width, at a resolution of 300 dpi. A good rule of thumb: file size should be at least 1 MB.

Visual art entries should include an artist statement with the following elements:

• Artist’s name
• Media used to create the work
• Reason for creating the art
• Process used to create the art

Advisors Emeriti serve as the first-round judges, narrowing the field to approximately 100 entries.

The Nota Bene Editorial Board serves as second-round judges reviewing the final 100 entries and selecting 20-30 for publication. This group also selects scholarship recipients.

The first round of judging occurs in the summer, and final selections are typically made in the fall.

Everyone will be notified about the status of their submission via email in late fall.

A member may submit manuscripts or visual art in any category they wish, as long as the total number of works entered does not exceed five (5).

There are limits on the number of entries one person can submit in a single genre:

• No more than five (5) poems may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) short stories may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) essays may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) works of drama may be submitted.
• No more than three (3) visual art pieces may be submitted.

A digital copy of the issue will be available on this page in the winter.

All Nota Bene entries must be submitted electronically using the form on this page. Hard copies of manuscripts will not be accepted.

The Ewing Citation Scholarship Award of $1,000 is given to the author of the Nota Bene manuscript considered to be the most outstanding of all entries. It is named in honor of the late Nell Ewing, long-time Phi Theta Kappa staff member who was a driving force behind Nota Bene, beginning with its conceptual design and establishment. She retired in 2012 after serving 26 years with Phi Theta Kappa.

The International Poet Laureate Award of $1,000 is given to the author of the most outstanding poem. In addition to the scholarship award, the International Poet Laureate will be invited to present their poem during one of Phi Theta Kappa’s international events.

The Reynolds Scholarship Awards of $500 each are given to up to four authors and/or artists whose works were deemed outstanding. These awards are endowed by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and honor the memory of the late Donald W. Reynolds, founder of the Donrey Media Group.

All members will be notified by email, regardless of whether their entries were selected for publication. After all scholarship winners have been notified, a list of winning entries will be published on the Phi Theta Kappa website. Members whose entries have been selected to be published retain the rights to their work.