The Tom Lee Poetry and Spoken Word Contest is an annual contest honoring outstanding poetry and spoken word inspired and influenced by Tom Lee and the qualities of courage, selflessness, kindness and generosity that he exemplifies.
The judge for the contest is award-winning, widely published poet and professor at University of Memphis, Marcus Wicker.
Winners will be honored on or near Tom Lee Day (May 8).
Rules and Eligibility
- Open to students between 9th and 12th grade attending any high-school located in Shelby County, TN
- Only one entry may be submitted per person
- Both poem and spoken word entries must be no more than 40 lines
- No entry may have been previously published
- Writing about Tom Lee is not required, but special attention will be given to poems that engage with the themes of courage, selflessness and generosity