New York Encounter is sponsoring a poetry contest on the theme “Reality Has Never Betrayed Me.”

The theme is inspired by Pope Benedict’s claim that “the intelligence of faith has to become the intelligence of reality.” The prizes are $300, $200, and $100.

The contest seems to be associated with Image Journal, a magazine of “art, faith, and mystery.”

According to the entry guidelines:

“Reality as it emerges in experience is so positive that it presents itself as inexorably appealing. Instead of appealing we might use another word…promising” (Luigi Giussani).

We all have the intuition that life, even with all its hardships, is fundamentally good. Its appeal is continuously being reawakened by things and people—an appeal we can resist or forget, but never entirely eliminate.

Yet we frequently have a hard time seeing the beauty in many aspects of life: family, work, politics, and society—even our own bodies and the very food we eat. We should have goals, but we often don’t know what to do with ourselves. We claim to be in control of our time but are constantly anxious about the future. We think we know how to love but repeatedly feel tossed around and betrayed by our emotions.

In the end, we are tempted to construct our own reality to give sense to life. But the reality we try to create, when put to the test of experience, does not deliver on its promises, and too frequently the ensuing frustration turns into anger and violence.

The theme of this poetry contest arises from the life and vision of Monsignor Luigi Giussani, who said, toward the end of his life, that “reality has never betrayed me.”

We are looking for poetry that wrestles honestly with these questions—not in a sentimental or didactic way, but with a cry of the heart—seeking the reality that holds out a promise.

The deadline is November 1st, 2016. Learn more here.