high school poetry contestIs the Live Poets Society of New Jersey National High School Poetry Contest legitimate?

I entered in a national poetry contest called Dimensions in Education Today, a National High School Poetry Contest sponsored by the Live Poets Society of New Jersey.

I am a regional winner, and now the organization wants to publish my poem in an anthology and is offering copies to me at "discount" prices. It claims that it has been running for 8 years, and I found the scholarship highlighted in a few, only a few, school newsletters. And it claims there is no purchase necessary to win.

My parents are scared that the organization is trying to make personal profit off of the poems of high schoolers.

Should I continue with the contest? If it is legitimate, how do you know, and what do I tell my parents?

The second application deadline is April 30, so please answer soon, and sincerely.

Here is the website:
It looks like a scam to me.

I don't have conclusive proof either way, but I have heard of similar things. I checked the Better Business Bureau and thehigh school poetry contesty hadn't heard of them.

A vanity press or vanity publisher is a book printer which, while claiming to be a publisher, charges writers a fee in return for publishing their books or otherwise makes most of its money from the author rather than from the public.

You might as well continue with the contest but DON'T GIVE THEM ANY MONEY.

check out the links
Actually, check out this website to avoid scams, and find a couple of legitimate writing/poetry scholarships.

http://scholarship.lifetips.com/cat/65624/writing-scholarships/

i found it on the better business bureau (i was wondering the same because i entered the same contest, i wasn't chosen as a regional winner though, but they chose my poem to publish it apparently, but they say they need money if I would like to order a book. they would publish it for free i think)

here is where I found it, but there's no info about it:

high school poetry contest

I won 2 years in a row and they paid me.I even had personal conversations (by email) with Mr. Edwards, who founded the organization and is in charge there and never had any problem receiving an answer to my questions. The website has changed though www.highschoolpoetrycontest.co…

They ARE listed on the lifetips site noted above and the BBB has had them listed since 2001 and has no complaints. If they've been listed (not a member but listed) that long and no one's complained, it would stand to reason that they must be on the up and up. First hand experience says they are.

Hey, Emmy, did you ever find out if it was a scam or not because I applied to the same thing this year and they said I was Topical Winner for their "anthology".