– IFA Cowboy Poetry Roundup –

A Century of Growing, A Lifetime of Storytelling

IFA has been helping grow the things we all love in the intermountain west for more than a century. With that century of growing comes farm tales, ranch tales and even tall tales that deserve to be told.

It’s time to dust off your best rhymes! From January 1 through January 31, IFA is accepting entries for our annual poetry search. What kind of stories are we looking for? We want to hear your unique voice on any topic related to agriculture. Your poems can be drawn from your personal experiences, family history or simply represent a slice of life on the land.

Your cowboy poetry deserves an audience. Share your story now for a chance to win IFA gift cards!

1. Write

Got a great idea? Put it down on paper. All entries must be the entrant’s original content so start writing your best poems and stories. Submit a written or typed copy of your poem(s) for entry. HANDWRITTEN ENTRIES MUST BE LEGIBLE.

2. Record

Part of great cowboy poetry lies in presentation. A recording of yourself delivering your poem is not necessary for entry. However, additional points will be awarded for entries that include a video presentation of the poem(s).

3. Submit

Once your poem(s) is written (required) and recorded (optional), submit as many as you like by filling out the entry form on our website.

How to Submit:

Upload digital versions of your poem. You may either take a picture of your hand-written piece or download the digital version and save it as a jpg or PDF file.
Fill out the required contact and consent information. A parent or guardian must confirm their consent if you are under 18.
Optional: Upload video recordings to YouTube and include a viewable link on the entry form. *Please note that your video and Youtube page must be public for consideration.

Entry Selection

Winning entries will be selected internally by a panel of qualified IFA judges. Points will be awarded for written submissions with additional points awarded for video submissions. Entries will be judged on:

Content

The most points will be awarded in this category. Content will be judged for the quality of the story. What is your story about? Is your message conveyed clearly and in a meaningful way? Funny, serious or satirical it doesn’t matter. We are just looking for content that depicts the agricultural lifestyle.

Creativity

Like content, creativity will account for a large proportion of an entry’s score. Think of out-of-the-box ways to tell your story but make sure it is something that others will connect with.

Flow

Cowboy poetry is about rhythm. Rhyming scheme or no rhyming scheme, make sure your poem flows just the way you want it to.

*Optional: Video Presentation

Entries submitted with a video recording of the poem may be awarded additional points. Video quality and presentation will be considered. Keep in mind that cowboy poems/stories are about a lifestyle so backgrounds and even appearance can help convey your message.

Cowboys in the Classroom:

Teacher's Incentive

TEACHERS this one's for you! Challenge your students to write and enter their own original Cowboy Poems in IFA's contest. This is a perfect, real-world assignment for creative writing, history or agriculture classes plus, there's an incentive for you and your classroom.

We want to reward your dedication to growing young minds and helping us grow western heritage through poetry. The teacher with the most student entries between January 1 and January 31 will win their own $50 IFA Gift Card for themselves or their class!

How it works:

1. Encourage your students to write their own cowboy poems and enter them in IFA's contest through the website

2. When your students submit their entries they will be asked if their entry is part of a class submission. Make sure your students add your name as their teacher.

Give your students a unique outlet for their voices, and give your classroom a chance to win!

*We will award two teacher prizes: one for the youth age group and one for the intermediate age group. Please note that school-assigned emails will block IFA communications. Use personal email addresses only when entering the contest.