Please read these guidelines carefully:

The Walt Whitman Xanadu Poetry Contest invites 9-12th grade entries. WWXP does not accept work that has been generated by artificial intelligence. Poetry is a tool for expanding the human spirit, which means poems should be written by humans.

ONE submission a person.

Poems will be judged by writers and poets who will consider their level of sophistication and voice. When writing, you will want to consider components and tools such as the following, but certainly not limited to:

• Metaphor/Simile/Analogy
• Enjambment
• Repetition
• Personification
• Alliteration/Consonance/Assonance
• Concrete Imagery
• Poetic Form Control
• Allusion

Poems must be grammatically sound. This includes spelling, usage, punctuation, etc.

Poem text must be: Black, 12 font size, Times New Roman and left justified.

Poems must be titled, with your name on top.

Poems must be 30 lines or less.

Please supply a short (2-3 sentences) poet’s explanation. This should articulate a writer’s inspiration or intended effect of the poem. The readers should NOT need this to understand and appreciate the work, but this can be useful. This can be added on the same document below your poem entry.

Submit the poem document as an email attachment by April 15th to: jpipolo@shufsd.org

In the email subject, please write: Contest Poem and Your Name 

Prizes:
First Prize: $500.00
Second Prize: $150.00
Third Prize: $ 50.00