According to the rules, anyone may enter as long as they have an Iowa address.
Poems can be about any subject and use any form.
The rules also state that no one will receive more than one award. There are four different contests. The adult contest will give awards for poems of any subject and form, including the Carl Stiefel award, which can be about national or world events, a members only award, one for poems for children and one of humorous verse. Many hours are put into finding the top poems for each category. The humorous verse must be rhymed and metered and have eight lines or less.