Celebrate South Central Pennsylvania’s Newest Poets! Each winter, we ask students from across York and Adams Counties (Pennsylvania) to submit their best poems for our annual Celebration of Poetry contest. Guest judges read dozens of entries across six different age brackets: Grades 1-2 Grades 3-4 Grades 5-6 Grades 7-8 Grades 9-10 Grades 11-12 Let your creativity soar! Previous poem entries have included themes of nature, people, trips, and the universe! Four winning poems will be selected for each of the six age brackets. Celebrate South Central Pennsylvania’s Newest Poets! You can read the 2024 winning poems here. Each year, York County Libraries publishes the winning poems in a real print book—available for checkout in our libraries! Submission Guidelines The submission portal opens in November and closes in January each year. Entrants must be between Grades 1-12 and a resident of York or Adams County, PA. Entrants may submit one original poem in the style of their choice. Poems must be submitted using the online entry form Poem must be typed. File formats of .txt and .docx (or .doc) are ideal! Poem must be the work of an individual, not a group or collaboration. Poem must be the work of a human being in its entirety. Poems written by an AI (or written by an AI and edited by a human) will be disqualified. Poems must be submitted using the online entry form by January 19, 2024. Contact information should not be included directly on the poem. Include it in the online submission form instead. This is part of our fair judging process. Any accompanying artwork must be original and not AI-generated. Poems will become the property of York County Libraries and will not be returned, so please keep a copy of your poem for yourself. What is an example of a winning poem? Use the flip book above to read the most recent poetry book or check out our catalog for prior years’ winning poems. Many are in real books in our libraries! View winning poems Do you have any tips for writing poetry? Yes! Here is a printable handout with ideas to get you inspired and writing! Learn More Can I use ChatGPT to write a poem, or help me write one? No—your creativity and input is much better than anything AI (artificial intelligence) can come up with! Poems written by an AI (or written by an AI and edited by a human) will be disqualified. AI writing programs include but are not limited to ChatGPT, Claude, DeepAI, Google Gemini, etc. The same standards apply to artwork submitted along with a poem. Can I work with a group to write a poem? Qualifying poems should be the work of an individual, not a group or collaboration. You can work with other people to get feedback and improve your poem, but the writing should be your own. Entry Form for A Celebration of Poetry Submit your original poem here! Please make sure identifying information (name, grade, school, etc) are NOT included directly in the document. Editable document formats are preferred, e.g. .docx. Image files may be submitted in .jpg, .png, .pdf Please select one of the following: Individual submission Group submission (for classrooms) Student Name(Required) First Last Guardian Name(Required) First Last Guardian Phone Number(Required)Guardian Email Address Fill in this field to receive confirmation and your entry was successfully submitted. School Name(Required) Teacher Name First Last Grade(Required)Grade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8Grade 9Grade 10Grade 11Grade 12How many past years have you participated in A Celebration of Poetry?(Required)Please enter a number from 0 to 11.Attach your poem hereAccepted file types: docx, txt, pdf, jpg, png, Max. file size: 2 MB.Remember, your name/identifying information should not be visible on the poem! Preferred file types: docx, .txt, .pdf Consent I represent that I am a parent or legal guardian of the person identified above, who is a minor. I understand the Model Release (see description below) and consent to the use of their likeness.Read our Model Release Form hereTeacher Name(Required) First Last Teacher Email Address(Required) Fill in this field to receive confirmation that your classroom entries were successfully submitted. We recommend using a non-school-issued email.School Name(Required) School District(Required) Grade(Required)Grade 1Grade 2Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8Grade 9Grade 10Grade 11Grade 12Class Name (if applicable) In order to submit your students' work, you must include contact information for each submission using the table below. Please include the following information for each submission: Student Name Guardian Name Guardian Phone Number Guardian Email Enter None if the guardian does not have an email address. Student's Poem Name # of Years Previously Participated Enter 0 if this is the student's first time participating in A Celebration of Poetry. Student's Media Release Please indicate if the student's legal guardian has given written consent to use their likeness or content (poem) for marketing purposes. Student information(Required)Student NameGuardian NameGuardian Phone NumberGuardian EmailPoem Title# Years of Student ParticipationStudent’s Media Release (Y/N) Add RemoveUpload your students’ poems hereAccepted file types: docx, txt, pdf, jpg, png, Max. file size: 50 MB.Preferred file type: .docx; Other accepted file types: .txt, .pdf All submissions must be accompanied by corresponding entries in the Student Information table above. The file name of submitted poems must match the poem name. Submitted poems must not contain the student's name in the file name or text of the poem. Microsoft Word documents are the preferred format for submissions. Δ