National Poetry Month 2025: Contests for Teens and Adults

April is National Poetry Month! Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, it is a special occasion that recognizes poetry in all its forms and reminds us of the integral role of poets in our cultures. To celebrate, we are bringing back our annual Blackout Poetry Contest for teens and Highlight Poetry Contest for adults!

Blackout Poetry Contest for Teens

  • Creating Blackout Poetry is easy! Take a page with words written on it, such as a book page or magazine article.
  • Grab a marker to cross out the words you don't want, leaving the words you do.
  • Soon you'll have created a poem!

Highlight Poetry Contest for Adults

  • Choose a page of text.
  • Grab a highlighter and selectively highlight words or phrases.
  • Work on it until you like the result – be as creative as possible!

Poetry stations with supplies will be available at every PLYMC location throughout April. Once you've completed your poem, paste it to the contest entry form and fill out the information on the bottom to receive credit.

Turn in your poem at any PLYMC branch, opens a new window by April 30. Three winners will be chosen for each contest and awarded a prize!