A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 16, 2026

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Poetry Contest Finalists

The 12 INCREDIBLE finalists for this year’s high school poetry contest have been selected! The top 3 Winners will be selected by our celebrity judge.

You get to vote for Fan Favorite by clicking the “like” button at the end of each poem that you like. (Update: voting is now closed. Join us at the Festival for the announcement of the winners)

All of the winners will be announced at the Book Festival on May 17th. Join us!!

About the Poetry Contest

High school students from across the Washington Metropolitan Area were invited to submit short poems to the Gaithersburg Book Festival High School Poetry Contest.

This year, the prompt was “Civic Duty.”