ASA Announces 2013 ‘Arthur Halvajian’ Poetry Competition

WARWICK, R.I.—The Armenian Students Association of America (ASA), Inc. this month announced that it will sponsor the Armenian Poetry Project’s (APP) annual Arthur Halvajian Memorial writing competition. This is the fourth year that the ASA, Inc. has sponsored the competition named in memory of Halvajian, a longtime member and trustee of the ASA, Inc., who passed away in 2010.

The deadline for submissions is Feb. 28, 2014. Winners will be announced in March 2014.

“We are happy to continue our support of the Armenian Poetry Project in honor of Arthur Halvajian, who first built our relationship with the project,” said Brian Assadourian, chairman of the ASA, Inc. Board of Trustees. “We are encouraged by the hundreds of individuals, from elementary and high school students to college students and post-graduates, who participate in the competition. Their involvement shows that the Armenian community continues to value and promote creative writing, which has been a hallmark of the rich cultural tradition of the Armenian nation throughout the centuries.”

The Armenian Poetry Project, led by Lola Koundakjian, is a research and documentation site of 19th-21st-century Armenian poets and poetry. Whether it is through its website/blog, Facebook, or iTunes presence, which features podcasts of recited works, the APP brings together writers from all walks of life across the world.

The competition is open to individuals with one or more parents with at least partial Armenian heritage. All Armenian residents of the United States and Canada are invited to submit their work, in English or Armenian (preferred), for the competition. Entries should be e-mailed to ArmenianPoetryProject@gmail.com, with the subject heading “Halvajian ASA/APP Poetry competition.” Individuals may only submit one poem for the competition. 

The competition groups submissions into three categories: students (ages 12-17), college age (ages 18-22), and adult (ages 23 and older). A top prize will be awarded for each of the categories in the amounts of $50 (students), $100 (college age), and $250 (adult).

Each poem must be accompanied by the author’s full name, age, home address and telephone number, school name, and sponsoring teacher’s telephone number. Those in the college age category need not include a sponsoring teacher. Those in the adult category need not include school information.

The Armenian Students’ Association of America, Inc. encourages educational pursuits by Armenians in America and the raising of their intellectual standards, provides financial assistance in the form of scholarships to deserving Armenian students, develops fellowship among them, cultivates in them the spirit of service in the public interest, and acquaints them and the entire American community with Armenian culture.



To learn more about the Armenian Poetry Project, visit http://armenian-poetry.blogspot.com.