Annual Tennessee Williams Poetry & Short Story Contests
(2026 Coming Soon)

The Key West Art & Historical Society invites poets and writers to submit original works to the annual Tennessee Williams Poetry and Short Story Writing Contests which open on January 5, 2026.  Submissions must be received by midnight on March 1, 2026.

 

​Drawing from the 2026 Festival theme, writing contest entries must in some way reference Tennessee Williams’ seminal work Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Poets and authors should loosely make reference to the play whether it be Williams during the writing process, one of the play’s characters, or one of the actors/actresses who played a role in the film.  First-place winners will be awarded a $500 prize while  second-place winners will receive a $250 prize.​

Contest entry fee is $20 per submission (one entry per person)

​

For full contest rules and information, please read through the contest prospectus below