A Celebration of National Poetry Month
Join us by entering a Teen poetry contest! Below, please find the rules and regulations of the contest:
- Contest will be judged by three members of the library staff.
- Poems submitted must be no longer than 20 lines, but can include any styles.
- New for 2026! Teens may submit a poem in a world language, if desired.
- Poems will be judged for content, creativity, and impact.
- Submissions will be accepted in 2 categories:
- Middle School: 6th-8th grade
- High School: 9th-12th grade
- Only one submission per person.
- Poems must be original work and may not contain AI generated content.
- There will be three winners in each category, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. First prize will win $30. Second prize will be $25 and third-place will be $20.
- To submit, please send an e-mail to: teenpoetry@westhartfordlibrary.org with your poem in Word or PDF format no later than April 21, 2026 at 11:59PM. Subject Line should read as followed: “West Hartford Public Library Teen Poetry Contest”.
- Poetry contest runs from April 1, 2026 until April 21, 2026.
- Winners retain all publishing rights, however the library retains the rights to publish the winning poems and author’s name on all library media applications (website, social media, newsletter, Teen Room in the Noah Webster Library, etc).
- Winners will be announced by April 30, 2026.
Good luck, everyone!