THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN POSTED!

CLICK HERE to go to the winners’ page!

CONTEST: The Lyrical Language Lab FREE VERSE poetry contest for kidlit

WHAT TO SUBMIT: A kidlit free verse poem suitable for elementary, middle grade, or  

               young adult 

THEME: “Summer Snapshot” – open to interpretation

LENGTH: Maximum 100 words (not including title)

WHEN TO ENTER: June 21 to July 21, 2024. Submissions close July 21 at 11:59pm PST.

ENTRY FEE PER POEM: $10

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Longlist July 29; Shortlist August 4; Winners August 7

 

Please read the rules and guidelines carefully before entering the contest.

First Prize

$300

Second Prize

$200

Third Prize

$100

7 Honorable Mentions

$25 eGift Card from Bookshop.org or Amazon

All winners will have their poem, photo, and short bio included on the 

 Winners’ Page on this website.

  • Contest entries will be judged anonymously in three rounds of judging.
  • ROUND 1: Judges will narrow entries down to a longlist of 20 titles. The longlist will be posted on this website (poem titles + Transaction ID only) on July 29, 2024. 
  • ROUND 2: Judges will narrow down longlisted entries to a shortlist of 10 titles. The shortlist will be posted on this website (poem titles + Transaction ID only) on August 4, 2024.
  • ROUND 3: Judges will choose the first, second, and third place winners from the shortlist. The remaining seven entries on the shortlist will receive honorable mention.
  • Winners will be posted on this website (names and poems) and emailed on August 7, 2024. 
 

JUDGING CRITERIA
Here are just some of the things the judges will be looking for:

  • Adherence to the “Summer Snapshot” theme.
  • Appealing to the chosen age group
  • Thoughtful use of poetic devices (metaphor, sound devices, white space, etc.)
  • Surprising/lovely use of language
  • Distinctive voice
  • Evocation of a mood, time, or place
  • Logical progression/organization
  • Clarity of intention (not so abstract as to obscure any meaning)
  • Overall craft of writing
 
 

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY

  • Entrants must be 18 years of age and over.
  • The contest is open to entrants worldwide. Void where prohibited.
  • Entries are permitted from both agented and unagented writers.
  • Multiple entries are permitted, but each entry must be submitted with a separate form and a separate fee.
  • Previously published work is not eligible.
  • Poems generated by AI are not eligible.
 

POEM GUIDELINES

  • Your poem must be written for and appeal to the children’s literature market (e.g., elementary, middle grade, young adult, ages 0-18).
  • Your poem must somehow relate to the theme “Summer Snapshot.”
  • Your poem must be written in free verse. Metered poems and prose will be disqualified.
  • Your poem MUST have a title, which cannot be “Untitled.” The title is the identifying information used by the judges.
  • Your poem must be a maximum of 100 words (not including the title).
  • Your poem must be previously unpublished in any form (except for publishing on personal blogs) and must not be currently under contract.
  • Your poem must be written in English.
  • As a general guideline, use single-spaced 12pt font. But since this is free verse, you are free to use white space,  indenting, different font sizes, and/or other text treatments, if that is what your poem calls for. 
  • Poems should be submitted as doc, docx, or PDF files.
  • Your uploaded document should include only three things: 1) PayPal Transaction ID, 2) poem title, and 3) poem. Do not include your name or any other information on your uploaded document.
  • Once your poem is submitted, it cannot be changed, edited, or altered. You may, of course, withdraw your work, but there are no refunds given.
  • Please add renee@reneelatulippe.com to your safe sender list in your email provider. Winners will be notified by email. 
 

DECISION OF JUDGES

  • The decision of the judges is final. The judges will not be able to answer specific questions about your poems, poems of other entrants, or their decisions as judges, nor enter into any correspondence with entrants regarding the contest. 
  • The judges cannot provide individual feedback on poems. 
  • The contest organizers have the right to change the judge(s) at their discretion.

 

RESULTS, NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS, AND PRIZE DISTRIBUTION

  • Longlist results will be posted on this website on July 29, 2024  (poem titles + Transaction ID only).
  • Shortlist results will be posted on this website on August 4, 2024 (poem titles + Transaction ID only).
  • Winners will be posted on this website and notified by email on August 7 (names and poem titles).
  • Please add renee@reneelatulippe.com to your safe sender list in your email provider. Winners will be notified by email. 
  • Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be paid only via PayPal and not by check, cash, bank transfer, or any other means. Be sure you are able to accept such prize payment before you enter.
  • The Bookshop.org or Amazon eGift Cards for Honorable Mention winners are delivered via email directly from Bookshop.org or Amazon. There may be slight variations to this prize depending on which country the winner resides in. In certain cases, the contest administrators reserve the right to modify the type and delivery method of Honorable Mention prizes.   
  • Unclaimed prizes will not be distributed. Prizes are non-transferable.
 

COPYRIGHT AND USE OF POEM

  • You retain full copyright of your poem. For winning poems (the shortlist), a copyright notice will be included anywhere your poem is published publicly. 
  • For shortlisted entrants: By entering the Lyrical Language Lab 1ST ANNUAL FREE VERSE POETRY CONTEST, you give permission for us to print your name, poem, photo, and/or bio on the winner’s page of this website and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. 
 

REFUNDS

  • No refunds can be issued for any reason. Before paying and uploading your poem, please be sure you have read and followed the rules and guidelines. The document you upload should include only three things: PayPal Transaction ID, poem title, and poem. Do not include your name or other identifying information on your document.

 

DISQUALIFICATIONS

The following events will cause an entry to be disqualified:

  • The entry fee was not paid.
  • The poem is written for the adult market.
  • The poem is written in metered verse or another format that is not free verse. 
  • The poem has no title or is titled “Untitled.”
  • The uploaded poem document does not include the PayPal Transaction ID and/or the title of the poem.
  • The poem is not written in English.
  • The poem exceeds the 100-word limit.
  • The poem was previously published (other than on a personal blog).
  • The poem is not the author’s own work.
  • The poem was generated by AI.
  • Entrants will not be notified if their entry is disqualified.

RENÉE M. LATULIPPE

Founder of Lyrical Language Lab, poet, teacher

LEARN MORE

MICHELLE HEIDENRICH BARNES

Poet, Today’s Little Ditty anthologist, teacher

LEARN MORE

SUZY LEVINSON

Poet, picture book author, LLL co-teacher

LEARN MORE

LOU PICCOLO

Poet, kidlit developmental editor, LLL co-teacher

LEARN MORE

the contest is now closed!

Stay tuned for the following announcements!

 Longlist posted: July 29, 2024

Shortlist posted: August 4, 2024

Winners announced: August 7, 2024

Start at minute 9:21 for analysis of a kidlit free verse poem.

Follow along as I revise a kidlit free verse poem.

FREE VERSE QUICK GUIDE

Not sure what free verse is? There are many internet resources out there, so do take a moment to look around. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the elements of free verse.

  • Free verse relies on rhythm and the natural cadences of speech rather than on a specific meter. 
  • Free verse might include occasional or incidental rhymes, but it usually relies more on sound devices like consonance, alliteration, and repetition. There is no specific rhyme scheme. 
  • The way free verse is formatted on the page is limited only by the poet’s imagination. There is no specific stanza pattern. 
  • White space is an important element that creates pacing and adds interest, pauses, and room to breathe.
  • Line breaks are both intuitive and intentional, not random, and help convey the author’s intent.

Here’s a sample of a summer-themed free verse poem. Like many poems, it evokes both a single moment in time and a deeper sense of history and memory. I would place this as a crossover of middle grade and young adult.