LibGuides: April Poetry Contest 2025: Home

Enter Your Poem

To enter the 2025 Poetry Contest, please submit your poem via our form here: HCL Poetry Contest 2025

We will leave the poems up in our online gallery for entire year until 2026's contest, so everyone can enjoy them.

Prizes and Sponsors

Adult and Teen Category Prizes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will receive a gift card to Scout's Coffee Bar & Mercantile in High Bridge, New Jersey. They will also receive a certificate of participation.

Children's Category Prizes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will receive a gift card to H umdoo Ice Cream in Flemington, New Jersey. They will also receive a certificate of participation.

This program is generously sponsored by FOHCL, Friends of the Hunterdon County Library.

National Poetry Month

"Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and—of course—poets, marking poetry's important place in our lives." - poets.org

Resources for Poets and Poetry Lovers:

NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.
Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience.
Poetry Society of America The nation's oldest poetry organization, founded in 1910.
Poets.org
Poets & Writers Founded in 1970, Poets & Writers is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization serving creative writers. Our mission? To foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public.

Schedule of Events

April is National Poetry Month! We are celebrating with the annual HCL April Poetry Contest for Adults, Teens, and Children in Hunterdon County.

March 29 - April 20: Entries open. Submit your entries online here: https://hclibrary.libwizard.com/f/HCLpoetrycontest2025

April 26 - May 17: Poetry Entries Exhibition at the North County Library. Come read the original works from our community's talented poets, and view corresponding artwork. A digital poetry gallery will also be viewable on this page.

May 6, 6:00-8:00PM: Poetry Reading & Awards Ceremony. Join us for an evening of original poetry readings from members of our community. Come to read your poem, or come to sit back and enjoy the readings. Contest participants and non-participants alike are welcome to read their piece. We will be announcing the winners and runners-up (and award prizes!) for each category: Adult, Teens, Children 12 and Under. Register for this event.