Department of English

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio of William Shakespeare, the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania invites students to pen their own original sonnets. The winner will receive $250, and a hand-printed broadside of their sonnet produced by the Common Press!

DEADLINE

March 1, 2023

CONTEST DETAILS

• Only one entry per student
• Sonnets can follow the traditional form or be more experimental
• Sonnets must be submited via: english.upenn.edu/undergraduate/prizes
• Winner to be announced in April!

With six institutions in the Philadelphia area holding copies of the First Folio— including Bryn Mawr College, the Free Library of Philadelphia, Haverford College, Lehigh University, the University of Pennsylvania, and West Chester University— Philly-wide celebrations will take place throughout 2023 to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio. Find a whole list of celebratory events at phillyfirstfolios.org.