A Great Opportunity for Young Poets (and a Perfect National Poetry Month Activity)
April is National Poetry Month, which makes this a perfect time to encourage young writers to try something new—or take their poetry a step further.
The Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest 2026 is now open, and it includes a special category just for poets age 18 and under. Even better, there’s no entry fee, so it’s an easy, low-pressure way for students to write, revise, and share their work.
This year’s overall theme is “Memories: Revisiting the Past Through Poetry.” Within that theme, poets can choose from five broad and relatable categories:
- My First Love
- The Best Gift I Ever Received
- My Greatest Accomplishment
- What I’d Like To Do Over Again
- Advice That Changed My Life
These prompts are ideal for helping young writers reflect on their own experiences and turn them into poems. They also make this a great classroom or homeschool activity, especially during National Poetry Month.
One of the things I like most about this contest is its flexibility. Poems can be written in any style—rhyming verse, free verse, haiku, or another form—and can be up to 60 lines long. Writers may submit up to three poems, as long as each one is entered in a different category.
Although the contest is hosted in Lincoln, California, poets from anywhere are welcome to enter. In fact, last year’s contest drew participants from multiple countries and dozens of cities, so young writers will be part of a much larger creative community.
Winners will be selected in each category, and the top three poems will be published in a commemorative chapbook—a meaningful reward and something young poets can be proud of for years to come.
There are a couple of important details to keep in mind. Submissions must be printed and mailed (this is not an online contest), and each poem should include a separate entry form. The deadline is July 15, 2026, so there’s plenty of time to brainstorm, draft, and polish.
If you’re a teacher, this could be a fun and purposeful writing project for April or the end of the school year. If you’re a parent, it might be just the encouragement your child needs to put their ideas into words. And if you’re a young poet reading this yourself, why not give it a try?
You can find the full rules, entry form, and contest details here.
Happy writing!
