The Saturday Visiter Awards, presented by Poe Baltimore, recognize Edgar Allan Poe’s continuing legacy in the arts and literature around the world. The prizes will honor media, art, performance and writing that adapts or is inspired by Poe’s life and works.
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.
Saturday Visiter Awards will be given in two categories: works that adapt Poe’s life or writing(including biography, or true adaptations of his poetry or prose), and original works that are inspired by Poe’s life or writing. In addition, important “Poe Places”, including The Poe Museum (Richmond, VA) , The Poe Cottage (the Bronx NYC) and Poe House (Baltimore , MD) will highlight exceptional entries specific to their region.
Deadline to enter: May 30, 2020
Call for entries will close May 30, 2020. Visit our FAQs page for more information.
Poe Baltimore is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created to fund, maintain and interpret The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, and to celebrate the legacy of one of Baltimore’s most famous residents. The organization is dedicated to maintaining the museum as a vibrant experience for the thousands of visitors who come from around the world each year, and as part of a broader mission of city-wide events and educational opportunities celebrating Poe’s legacy in Baltimore and beyond.
Click here to read the Saturday Visiter Awards Guidelines for Entry or download the PDF below.
Poe Baltimore also announces six Edgar Allan Poe experts/enthusiasts have agreed to judge the awards. They recognize Poe’s legacy two centuries later in the arts and literature around the world:
- Christopher Semtner, The Poe Museum (Richmond)
- Shauntee Daniels, Baltimore National Heritage Area
- Joe Thompson, Maryland Library Association
- Pamela Buckles, American Writers Museum
- Vince Wilson, Poe’s Magic Theater
- Thomas Brown, Poe Baltimore
The awards ceremony will take place on October 3, 2020, at the 7th Annual Black Cat Ball at Westminster Hall, University of Maryland Carey School of Law in Baltimore. The venue is fitting as Poe is buried at Westminster Burying Ground next to the Hall.
The speaker and guest of honor will be Eric Stange, the acclaimed writer and director of the documentary “Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive” from PBS’s American Masters series. The film starred Dennis O’Hare as Edgar Allan Poe.