Walt Whitman wrote:

What does it all mean poet?
Well, Your brains beat into rhythm, you tell
What we felt only; you express’d
You hold thing beautiful the best
and pace in them in rhythm so,
side by side

Do you know any budding Walt Whitmans? Do you encourage a love of word smithing and playing with language?

Students in grades 6 – 12 can enter up to three original poems (no more than 60 lines each) in Howard County Library’s Word Up! Poetry Contest. A Word Up! Educators Resource brochure with writing exercises and other resources is available for teachers online.

Poems are judged by a committee on their originality and language use, among other criteria. Deadline for entries is March 16. All winners will be invited to read their poems on April 28 and will receive cash awards, sponsored by Friends of Howard County Library.

All winning poems are posted on the Library’s web site. Students may qualify for only one prize in each category.

Category 1: Grades 6 & 7

Category 2: Grades 8 & 9

Category 3: Grades 10 – 12