NOYS: Teen Poetry Contest

April is National Poetry Month! Youth Services is excited to bring back our annual Teen Poetry Contest. We’ve made a few changes this year, so please note the guidelines below.

Teen Poetry Contest

• The contest runs from April 1-30.


• All poems must be submitted electronically using the form on our teen website, Read.Watch.Listen. Visit http://www.fresnoteens.org/ to see rules and to submit poetry.


• There are two categories: middle school and high school. Participants must be between 7th-12th grade. One winner from each category will receive Barnes & Noble gift cards.


• Poems will be published on our website as we receive them. They will be published in a book, available for free at all library branches, after the contest is over and winners have been chosen.


• Each poet’s name will appear on our website as a link. The link will take you to that poet’s poems.


• Students can submit as many poems as they like but only one will count for the contest (chosen at the discretion of the judges unless otherwise designated by poet).


• Only one poem per person will be printed in the book.


• Special judges are FCPL staff James Tyner & Will Cooper; we are also delighted to have award-winning author Margarita Engle as a judge.

Please encourage teens in your branches to participate.