The Sarah Mook Poetry Contest for students in kindergarten through 12th grades, is accepting entries for the 2024 competition.
Cash awards are $100 first prize, $50 second prize and $25 third prize in each of four categories: kindergarten through second, third through fifth, sixth through eighth, and ninth through twelfth. Additionally, thanks to Sarah’s kindergarten teacher, three kindergarten poets will receive cash awards to purchase books for their school libraries: first ($100), second ($50) and third ($25).
Kindergarteners who are not yet able to write will often compose orally. A scribe (older student, teacher, parent) can write down the young poet’s exact words to capture these earliest spoken poems. “Bees With Fish Wings” is an illustrated children’s book that includes worksheets to help young poets write their first poems. Visit http://www.sarahmookpoetrycontest.com/new_book-bees_with_fish_wings.
While there is no contest entry fee, an optional donation of $5, payable to Sarah Mook Outreach Fund, will be given to the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “inspire a love of reading and writing in children.”
The postmark deadline is March 31. Winners will be announced in late May.
Enter up to two poems – of any length, on any subject, and in any style – of student’s original work. Poems should be typed or word-processed.
Include a separate cover sheet with the student’s name, grade, school name and address (home schoolers welcome) and the poem titles. The student’s name, address or school should not appear on the poems themselves.
When submitting a class set of poems, teachers should include their name, address and contact information for the school, list of student names, their poem titles, grade level for each student, and a self-addressed-stamped-envelope or email address to receive the results.
Mail entries to: Sarah Mook Poetry Prize, 896 Ferncliff Road, Poultney, VT 05764.
Winning poems from previous years with judge’s comments can be viewed on the website: www.sarahmookpoetrycontest.com/home
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