Frequently Asked Questions

The Saturday Visiter Awards are a new honor, presented by Poe Baltimore, recognizing 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 the 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 launched the famed writer’s career. 

The awards will be given in two categories: works that adapt Poe’s life or works (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. 

The awards will be presented by Poe Baltimore at The International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards in October, in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Guidelines for entry can be found here.

 NOTE: New! A category for student creators has opened! Details and timeline for students can be found here.  

No! In fact, the awards are open to artists, filmmakers, theater groups, musicians, composers... and also writers. Anyone who has created work inspired by or adapting Poe is welcome to enter. Eligibility criteria are outlined here. 

A call for entries will open on January 19th (Poe’s birthday) every year. Call for entries will close on May 30.  From these entries, the nominees in each category will be chosen by a committee of judges based on criteria as stated in the entry rules. Nominees will be informed of their selection by July 30. Winners will be announced at the festival and awards given at a reception during Poe Fest Int’l in October. 

There will be up to ten (10) nominees in each category. There will be up to three (3) winners in each category.

NOTE: New! A category for student creators has opened! Details and timeline for students can be found here. 

The judging panel is invited and selected by the Poe Baltimore Board of Directors. While Poe Baltimore will accept inquiries from parties interested in joining the Awards Selection Panel in subsequent years, the Poe Baltimore Board of Directors is the governing body for selection and committee selection is by invitation only. 

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.

The use of artificial intelligence (a.k.a. AI) programs is not prohibited, however self-identifying when such a program may or may not have been used is important for transparency and fairness. We require artists/creators to self-identify when their work is generated in whole or part using an AI program. There is no penalty for use of such programs, however artists are required to share these process details as part of their description. The judges will be notified if an entry uses AI and determine how that work compares to entries that do not utilize the technology. Judges are not asked to disclose their thoughts/opinions on the use of AI.

An entry or award will be disqualified or stripped if it is later identified as an AI generated work (in whole or part) and the artist did not disclose this in the process details.