The Virgin Islands Literary Festival and Book Fair, Inc. has joined in on the year-long celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Caribbean Writer with a University of the Virgin Islands-wide Ekphrastic Poetry competition, and students on all campuses are encouraged to participate. 

Instructions

Select one of The Caribbean Writer’s book covers from the last 39 editions (options provided below) and write a poem (or a series of poems) in any style based on or inspired by the artistic image. Poems must clearly reflect the images, ideas, and movements in the chosen artwork. All work must be original.

No Artificial Intelligence!

 

Who Can Participate:

 The competition is open to all UVI Students  

 

POETRY Submission (choose one of the following three options)

  1. Haiku (write a series of seven haiku based on ONE cover)
  2. Free Verse (must be 20 lines minimum)
  3. Poetry displaying exemplary writing in the Caribbean National Language

Prizes:

First Place–$100

Second Place–$75

Third Place–$50

 

Deadline for submission:

 March 20, 2026 

 

Where to submit poem: thecaribbeanwriter@uvi.edu

 

Submission Guidelines:

Include the following with your submission:

Full Name, Year in College, Major/Area of study, Edition Cover on which the poem is based, Title of the Poem

 

Announcement of Winners and Prizes:     

March 31, 2026

For more information, send all inquiries to thecaribbeanwriter@uvi.edu