The William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition, sponsored annually by the Department of Family and Community Medicine, continues to accept submissions through Dec. 31. The competition, named for the iconic physician and poet, is open to any student enrolled in a program leading to a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in the United States, Puerto Rico or Canada.

Each year, the competition receives hundreds of entries, which are judged by the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University. The top three prize-winning poems receive a monetary award ($300, $200 and $100 for first, second and third place, respectively) and are considered for publication in the Journal of Medical Humanities. In addition, the winning poets are invited to NEOMED’s campus in late spring to read their poetry alongside an esteemed guest and receive commendation in a formal awards ceremony.

More than 400 entries were received for last year’s competition. The judges awarded the top prize to “Mass Effect” by Steven Pan, a second-year student at Weill Cornell Medical School in New York. For the ceremony, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pan read the group another of his poems – one that reflects on the uptick in violence in the Asian-American community, the ongoing pandemic, and the current status of race in America.

Review additional competition rules and application.

PHOTO CAPTION: Physician-poet Amit Majmudar, M.D. (’03), shares his work at a pre-pandemic ceremony for the William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition.