2025-26 Poetry Ourselves: Utah's Original Poetry Competition

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Welcome to the 2025-26 Poetry Ourselves Competition

This is Utah's original poetry contest for 9-12 graders sponsored by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums. To enter, please fill out the registration form then upload your entry. 

Be aware of the following entry guidelines as you prepare your poems for submission.

  • Students must be Utah residents, currently in 9-12th grades to enter
  • Student poems may be submitted in either English or Spanish. Prizes may be awarded in each category.
  • Students may submit 1 or 2 original poems of any form (rhyme, free-verse, prose poetry, or other accepted poetry forms) - OR up to a maximum of 10 original Haiku.
  • Each submitted poem must be 25 lines or less (each line of 12 point type with 1 inch margins counts as one line). Longer works will be disqualified.
  • The Title may be listed above each poem (the title does not count as one of your 12 lines of poetry). 
  • Do not include the name of the author anywhere on the uploaded entry. Poems will be judged anonymously. 

Final Deadline for Submissions in January 30, 2026.

Questions? Contact Justinivie@utah.gov

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.