CONTEST INFO

CONTEST: The Lyrical Language Lab HEARING VOICES: MASK POEMS poetry contest 
                    for kidlit

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

                    young adult. May be free verse or rhyming.

THEME: “HEARING VOICES: Mask Poems” – poems in the voice of an object, animal,    
               or idea

LENGTH: Maximum 150 words

WHEN TO ENTER: June 24 to July 15, 2025. Submissions close July 15 at 11:59pm PST.

ENTRY FEE PER POEM: $10

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Longlist July 20; Shortlist July 22; Winners July 24

 

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

PRIZES

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 in the 

 Winners’ Gallery on this website.

CONTEST RULES

  • Contest entries will be judged anonymously in three rounds of judging.
  • ROUND 1: Judges will narrow entries down to a longlist of approximately 15-20 titles (at the judges’ discretion). The longlist will be posted on this website (poem titles + Transaction ID only) on July 20, 2025. 
  • ROUND 2: Judges will narrow down longlisted entries to a shortlist of 10 titles. The shortlist will be posted on this website (poem titles in alphabetical order) on July 22, 2025.
  • 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 (author names and poem titles) and emailed on July 24, 2025. 
 

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

  • Adherence to the “Hearing Voices: Mask Poems” theme
  • Distinctive, creative voice of the “character” speaking in the poem
  • Appealing to the chosen age group
  • Thoughtful use of poetic devices (metaphor, sound devices, imagery, etc.)
  • If free verse, thoughtful attention to line breaks and white space
  • If rhyming, excellent meter and rhyme
  • Surprising/lovely use of language
  • Evocation of a mood, time, or place
  • Logical progression/organization
  • Clarity of intention (not so abstract as to obscure any meaning)
  • Overall content and originality
  • 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 be a mask poem.
  • Your poem may be written in free verse or rhyme.
  • 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 150 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. You are of course 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 20, 2025  (poem titles + Transaction ID only).
  • Shortlist results will be posted on this website on July 22, 2025 (poem titles only, in alphabetical order).
  • Winners will be posted on this website and notified by email on July 24, 2025 (poem titles and author names).
  • 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 2ND ANNUAL SUMMER POETRY CONTEST, you give permission for us to publish 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 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 150-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.

meet the judges

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

enter your poem

the contest is now closed!

Stay tuned for the following announcements!

 Longlist posted: July 20, 2025

Shortlist posted: July 22, 2025

Winners announced: July 24, 2025

 

MASK POEM RESOURCES

Not sure what a mask poem is? There are many internet resources out there, so do take a moment to look around. A good place to start is this article with many examples by children’s poet Laura Purdie Salas. 

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the elements of mask poems.

  • A mask poem is written in the voice and from the perspective of an object, animal, or idea.  
  • Mask poems are written in the first person (i.e., from the POV of the object, animal, or idea; in their voice, not the poet’s).
  • Mask poems can be serious or silly, dramatic or lighthearted, fantasy or nonfiction, rhyming or free verse — anything goes! 
  • Absolutely everything is fodder for a mask poem: a snail contemplating the journey across the garden; a sock abandoned by the side of the road; a paperclip just barely holding things together; the lava that buried Pompeii.
  • The language, imagery, and even grammar of a mask poem are authentic to the narrator in the poem and consider the narrator’s personality, place, and state of being.

Here is a sample of a rhyming mask poem from my upcoming book LIMELIGHT: CURTAIN UP ON POETRY COMICS!, a collection of theater-themed mask poems for ages 8-12+.

In this poem, we hear the thoughts and wishes of a theater seat that rarely gets to watch the show!

GOOD LUCK, WRITERS!