By Christy Franzman
The theme for HEPL’s next Teen Writing Challenge is poetry to celebrate the upcoming National Poetry Month in April!
Aspiring teen writers, or teens who want the chance to win gift cards (no judgement here!), can submit an original poem for HEPL’s 2nd Teen Writing Challenge! Tap into your inner poet and get creative!
| WHO: | Students in grades 6-12 living in Fishers or Noblesville (and/or Delaware, Fall Creek, Noblesville, or Wayne township) |
| WHEN: | Entries are due Friday, April 1, 2022 by 6:00pm |
| WHAT: | An original poem (no length or structure requirements) |
| THEME: | National Poetry Month (poems of any theme/subject) |
| WINNERS: | 1st, 2nd, 3rd receive gift cards of $50, $30, $25, respectively (winners can choose gift cards from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, or Starbucks) |
GUIDELINES:
- Entries must be in the form of a poem, though there is no specific structure of poem (free verse, haiku, concrete, etc.)
- Submissions must be original works and not plagiarized
- Only one entry per student
- Entries must be submitted by 6:00pm on Friday, April 1, 2022
- Entries must be typed and submitted via email to Christy Franzman, franzmanc@hamiltoneastpl.org
- Content should be appropriate for general teen audience
- Entries must include the author’s NAME, GRADE, SCHOOL, EMAIL, PHONE #, and ADDRESS
JUDGING:
- Judges for the contest will be a mixed panel of HEPL staff (adults) and Teen Advisory Board (TAB) members who do not have entries in the contest
- Submissions will be judged anonymously with only the author’s grade level visible to judges (grade level/age of author will be considered when judging)
- Judges will be looking at the following criteria:
- Poem format (free verse, haiku, concrete, etc.)
- Appropriateness for general teen audience
- Creativity and originality of the work
- Organization and flow of the work
- Overall entertainment and readability
Winners will be announced Friday, April 15, 2022. Winning poets will be asked to return a signed permission form allowing HEPL to post their awesome poetry on our website.
Just remember, you can’t win if you don’t participate, so what do you have to lose?! We can’t wait to read your poems! Good luck!
If you have any questions about the contest, please feel free to email me: franzmanc@hamiltoneastpl.org.