Poetry In Schools 2026
Submissions open February 1st for the Northeast Texas Poetry in Schools Contest. Are you ready?
Seize the opportunity to showcase your students’ creativity through the Poetry in Schools contest. Winners will be published in our annual anthology and recognized at our April 2026 celebration!
Enter the Northeast Texas Poetry in Schools Contest!
Submissions open February 1 - March 1, 2026
Additional details found below.
The submission form will be open February 1 through March 1, 2026.
Submission details:
- Open to 1st - 12th graders
- All poems per grade level should be submitted in ONE GOOGLE document
- Table of Contents (List all student names, first and last, along with poem title in the order in which they appear in the document)
- Teacher name, school name, grade level in the “header” section
- Each page should be numbered and only one poem per page
- Students full name should be at the top of their poem page along with poem title
- Poems may not exceed 28 lines
- Poems should be typed without illustrations
- Only one entry per student
- Entries must be original, unpublished, typed poems written by the student
- Poems must be submitted by teachers or homeschool parents only
- Poem documents should be titled/saved as: SchoolName.TeacherLastName.GradeLevel (example: Region7.Kinsman.Sixth)
Teachers notified of top 3 finishers March 27. The awards ceremony will take place April 24, 2026 at Region 7 ESC.
Want to submit for Poetry in Schools this year, but don’t know where to start?
You’re not alone. Here are a few simple ideas you can use with your students to get the creativity flowing and make submissions feel doable (not like one more thing).
1. Start a quick poetry routine
- Kick off class with a 3 minute quick write (daily or weekly)
- Keep a class poetry notebook or folder for drafts
2. Teach one “poetry move” at a time
Pick one mini skill each day for a week or as your pacing calendar allows:
- imagery (show it, don’t tell it)
- sensory details
- line breaks and white space
- repetition for emphasis
- figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification)
- rhyme scheme, meter, blank verse, free verse
- and poem types (sonnet, haiku, ode, villanelle, ballad, etc)
3. Make revision feel safe (and not painful)
- have students highlight their strongest line and build from it
- swap vague words for more specific ones
- cut extra words (poetry loves a good haircut)
4. Use mentor poems for inspiration
Read a few short poems and ask:
- What do you notice?
- What do you wonder?
- What can we try in our own writing?
5. Host a “Poetry Draft Day”
- students write 2–3 drafts
- pick the strongest one to polish
- quick conference with you or a peer editor
6. Try peer review that actually helps
Give students sentence starters like:
- “My favorite line is… because…”
- “I can picture…”
- “One spot I want to know more about is…”
7. Help students choose a topic
Try prompts like:
- a place that matters to you
- a memory you can still see clearly
- something you wish adults understood
- an object with a story
- a moment you felt brave, embarrassed, or proud
8. Use a final submission checklist
Before submitting, make sure:
- the poem has a title
- the student’s name is spelled correctly
- formatting is intentional (line breaks matter!)
- students read it aloud one last time to catch awkward spots
9. Celebrate the process
- create a class poetry wall
- host an open mic Friday
- do “Poet of the Week” shoutouts
QUESTIONS? CONTACT A MEMBER OF OUR TEAM!
