In celebration of National Poetry Month and National Library Week, the Massillon Public Library invites all local bards to submit their original poems to be entered into our Sixteenth Annual Poetry Contest!
1. Please address all questions to Laura Klein, Children’s Services and Special Projects Manager, at the Massillon Public Library at 330-832-9831, x319.
2. Writings submitted to the contest must be original work. There is a limit of three poems per entrant.
3. The contest is open to those in Grades 3 through 12 and adults (over age 18).
4. Deadline is March 31 by library closing time in person OR by 11:59 p.m. if submitting online.
5. Pieces must be family-friendly. In collaboration with the Massillon Museum’s 2023 The Big Read selection of Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, writers have the option of fitting their work to the themes of literature, the featured Big Read title, or books in general. This is optional. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. Through The Big Read, communities come together to read, discuss, and celebrate literature.
6. Writings must be submitted with an entry form (signed by a parent or guardian if under 18 years of age) in person OR submitted online. Submissions will not be returned. The Massillon Public Library may reproduce your piece on its website or other social media; however, copyright is retained by the author. Please do not submit your only copy as it will not be returned to you!
7. The decision of the judge is final. Winners will be announced by April 25 and prizes of a $50 gift card will be awarded in each competing age group: Grades 3-8, Grades 9-12, and Adult.
8. Entrants in this contest will be given the opportunity to read their work at the Poetry Read-In held by the Massillon Public Library on Tuesday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m. Any writers who submit original poems on the subjects of literature, the featured book Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, or books in general may also be considered to read their works in April at “One-Act Plays” at Washington High School.
9. Poems can be submitted at any of the following locations: the Main Library Children’s or Reference Desks; the main Circulation Desks at the Belloni (Brewster) or Askren (Navarre) Branch; to the staff aboard the MPL Bookmobile; or online.
