Poetry Contest for Teens

Categories

Junior High (Grades 9-10)
Senior High (Grades 11-12)

Prizes

Winners in each category will be notified in August and invited to attend an awards presentation during the street festival on Sunday September 7, 2025.

Winners will receive a $50 gift certificate to a bookstore of their choice, as well as a family pass to the festival (maximum two adults). Runners-up will receive free admission to the festival for themselves and one adult.

Winners and runners-up will have their poems published on the EMWF website (optional).

Rules & Requirements

• One entry per person
• Maximum length is one page, double-spaced
• This contest is open to residents of Ontario only

Judging Criteria

Our judges will be looking for the following:

• Creativity: Are you approaching the contest’s theme in an original way?
• Clarity: Does your poem convey the experience or emotion you are trying to capture?
• Relation to the theme : How does your poem reflect the theme of the contest?
• Voice and Vision: Are you sharing a unique perspective?
• Language and Style: Read your poem aloud. Does it flow?
• Spelling and Grammar: Have you reviewed for errors?
• Rules & Requirements: Have you followed the contest’s rules and requirements?

Questions?

Contact [email protected].

Congratulations to our 2023 winners! Read their winning entries here.