Baltimore, MD - The Young Saturday ‘Visiter’ Awards (SVAs) are a new honor, presented by Poe Baltimore and sponsored by the Baltimore National Heritage Area (BNHA), recognizing High School students in Maryland who create artistic works inspired by Edgar Allan Poe. The prizes honor media, art, performance and writing that adapts or is inspired by Poe’s life and works, created by a High School student (grade 9 - 12 or equivalent during the 2021-22 school year) in the State of Maryland. The deadline for entries is September 15, 2021.

Though he was not wealthy in his lifetime, Edgar Allan Poe was the first American writer to support himself entirely by his pen. “The Saturday Visiter” was the name—and spelling—of a local periodical that held a contest for poetry and short stories. Poe won the award for his short story “MS Found in a Bottle” (which he wrote at Poe House.) The Saturday Visiter Awards are named after the prize a young Edgar Allan Poe won while he lived in Baltimore which helped to launch the famed writer’s career.

Works in any medium and genre (including digital or web-based works) are eligible. Entries are not limited to writing; graphical works, film, comics, music, live performance etc. may all be eligible. Only works created or performed by an individual who is a Maryland High School student (grades 9-12 or equivalent during the 2021-22 school year) are eligible to be entered in the Young SVA category. Visit the SaturdayVisiterAwards.org to learn about additional categories. Works published or created in a language other than English are eligible, but at this time the work must provide English-language subtitles.

Shauntee Daniels, Executive Director of BNHA, has this to say about the inaugural Young Saturday Visiter Awards “BNHA is delighted to partner with Poe Baltimore. Poe is revered by young and old, we thought this was a great way to engage and inspire students to exhibit their creativity through the lens of Poe’s works. We are excited to partner with Poe Baltimore on this exciting competition.”

Nominees for the Young Saturday 'Visiter' Awards will be announced at The International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards October 2, 2021. For entry details, guidelines and submission instructions - https://www.explorebaltimore.org/page/bnha-is-proud-to-sponsor-the-young-saturday-visiter-awards.

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