ROBERT FROST POETRY CONTEST FOR KIDS & TEENS

In celebration of National Poetry Month in April, and Robert Frost (1874-1963), The Studios of Key West is delighted to host the Annual Kids and Teen Poetry Contest each year.

Monroe county students are encouraged to submit poetry entries to the Robert Frost Poetry Contest for Children and Teens by April 30. Children aged 6-12 and teens aged 13-18 are encouraged to mail or drop their poems off at The Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton Street or email poems to poetry@tskw.org. Students should include their name, parent or guardian’s name, phone number and age with submissions. Poetry can be any length, based on any subject, and be rhymed or unrhymed. Teachers may also submit the work of their students. Open to Monroe County only, up to 3 poems per entry. Poems may be submitted in English or Spanish.

Cash prizes are as follows: $150 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place, in each age category.

National Poetry Month is a worldwide celebration that highlights poetry’s vital place in our culture. The Florida Keys have a special connection with Robert Frost, who won four Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry, and wintered many years at the garden cottage of the Heritage House in Key West. Through funds established by the Jeane and Jessie Porter Fund at the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, the contest for children and teenagers was created in his honor, and nurtures and develops the interest of budding poets, and their vital connection to the Keys’ creative spirit.

Winners will be announced online and recognized at a reception and public reading on Saturday, May 25 at 1pm at The Studios of Key West.

The Judges:

NEA Fellow, former Key West Poet Laureate and assemblage artist Flower Conroy’s first full-length manuscript, Snake Breaking Medusa Disorder was chosen by Chen Chen as the winner of the Stevens Manuscript Competition; her second collection, A Sentimental Hairpin was released from Tolsun Books.

Artist and writer Kalo Clarke has teamed up to judge poetry contests with Flower before (“Pepto Bismol bad poetry writing” contest for the best worst poem). Clarke is also known for her artworks in mixed media of unique subject matter, including bats, bees and other creatures.

After moving to Key West in 2014, yogi Erika Hawks found her home at the Key West Yoga Sanctuary, where she took the helm in 2021. Erika is a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor and continues her studies at SAI Ayurvedic Institute. She is our native Spanish speaker on the review team and is excited to be able to expand our inclusivity in this contest!

supported by the Jeane and Jessie Porter Memorial Fund