Welcome to the Center for Interfaith Relations' Submittable page! From here, you are able to submit your entries for our Poetry of the Sacred, Young Authors Sacred Essays, and Community Sacred Essays contests.
For over fiftenn years, the Poetry of the Sacred contest has received thousands of submissions touching every aspect of spiritual life. Poetry has been called ‘the language of the soul’ and this annual contest encourages poets to awaken the reader to the deep meaning and beauty of a contemplative life. Poems are evaluated based on literary excellence, authenticity and spiritual tenor.
We have since then expanded our scope into short essays, as well. The growing Young Authors Sacred Essays contest solicits short written pieces from the next generation of communities across the country. For this contest, we seek the insight of teenagers and young adults on pressing social issues and relationships with faith.
The annual Poetry of the Sacred contest will be open for submissions July 28 through August 25, 2025. This year’s final judge, poet and author Lynell Edwards, will select three honorable mentions to receive $100, and one winning poem to be awarded the $500 Thomas Merton Prize in Poetry of the Sacred. All winning poems will published on the Center for Interfaith Relation's website and in our annual Festival of Faiths catalogue, produced as part of Festival of Faiths: Sacred Belonging.
Submissions begin at 12:00am EST on July 28, 2025. Submissions will close at 11:59pm EST on August 25, 2025.
Submission Details:
- Entry fee of $15 per one poem, non-refundable. (Some entry fee scholarships are available on a limited first come, first serve basis. Please email contests@interfaithrelations.org for details. If accepted, you will be notified and sent a separate scholarship submission form.)
- Online submissions only. (If you are unable to submit online, please email contests@interfaithrelations.org or call 502.583.3100 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST.)
- Submissions should be one single piece of work. Please do not include multiple poems in one entry.
- Submissions should be less than 1,000 words.
- Submitted work should be unpublished. Simultaneous submissions are expected and welcome.
- Poem must be anonymous—the author’s name or address must not appear anywhere on the attached document containing the poem.
Final poems will be selected in early September and all applicants will be notified of the winning poem and three honorable mentions via email. Announcements will also be made online and through the general Center for Interfaith Relations and Festival of Faiths email communications.
The Center for Interfaith Relations' mission is to celebrate the diversity of faith traditions, express gratitude for our unity and strengthen the role of faith in society through common action.