Some more contests & awards:

Call for Entries, Songwriting, Poetry & Spoken Word Contest, Artbeat (Indianapolis, IN)

Artbeat is a grassroots partnership dedicated to creating new outlets for artists and participants in the arts in areas such as music, dance, poetry, and the spoken word. Each entry must include a completed entry form with original signature; song lyrics or poem recorded on CD or tape; two copies of lyrics for each song or poem entered, typed or printed clearly; and an entry fee of $20 for each entry. Entries must be received by July 31, 2009. Winners will receive cash prizes. Entries may be sent to 3815 River Crossing Parkway, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46240. For more information, please visit www.artbeatcontest.com, call (317) 627-8514 or email artbeatcontest@runbox.com.

Call for Artists, Midwest Voices and Visions Award (Midwestern States)

The Midwest Voices and Visions (MWV&V), an initiative of the Alliance of Artists Communities and in partnership with The Joyce Foundation, is accepting applications for seven artist residency programs. The MWV&V celebrates, supports, and promotes the work of highly talented, yet under-recognized artists of color and broadens awareness of and support for the opportunities available at Midwestern residency programs for artists of diverse backgrounds.

Seven artists will be selected on October 7-8 to be in residence in 2010.

The length of each residency will vary from one to three months, depending on which residency program with which the artist is paired. The seven participating programs are Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Red Wing, Minnesota; Art Farm in Marquette, Nebraska; Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska; John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Ox-Bow in Saugatuck, Michigan; Prairie Center of the Arts in Peoria, Illinois; and Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois. Selected artists will also receive an unrestricted $4000 stipend, have their work featured in the MWV&V project book, and participate in a group exhibition at the conclusion of the project.

Artists may apply online at www.midwestvoicesandvisions.org or by mail to Midwestern Voices & Visions, Alliance of Artists Communities, 255 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903. Applications are due by August 15, 2009. For more information, please contact Russ Smith at rsmith@artistcommunities.org or (401)351-4320.

(Writers qualify. I checked)