2026 Gaithersburg Book Festival’s Annual High School Poetry Contest Seeks Perspectives on What it Means to Be Human
Winning poet to be awarded $250 prize at 2025 Festival on May 16
Gaithersburg, Md. – August 19, 2025 – The Gaithersburg Book Festival is proud to announce its annual high school poetry contest is now open for submissions. This year students are asked to craft a poem on the topic “What Is Humanity?”
First and second place winners will receive $250 and $100, respectively. Third place and fan favorite winners will receive $50 and $25, respectively. Winners will be unveiled at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 16, 2026, at 10:15 a.m. at (506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20877), followed by an open mic reading from students and audience members.
“Every year our high school poets surprise us with their imaginative poems,” said Jud Ashman, Festival chair and Mayor of the City of Gaithersburg. “We’re excited to see how they view humanity in this year’s High School Poetry Contest at the Gaithersburg Book Festival.”
To participate, students must be enrolled in grades 9-12 at a public or private school, or be in a homeschool program, for the 2025-2026 school year. Additionally, entrants must reside in Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia.
Contest Entry Rules:
- Poem must be on the topic of “What Is Humanity?”
- Submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx)
- Typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman
- One page in length
- File name should be the title of the poem only (e.g., The_Red_Fern.doc).
- Don’t include the name of the student or school in the file name or on the document.
- Headshot photo required on entry form
- Must be the original work of the student and not previously published online or in print.
- Poems generated by artificial intelligence are not accepted.
By submitting work to the contest, students grant the Gaithersburg Book Festival a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, transmit and exhibit the poem, and any portions thereof, via any medium without financial compensation.
Poems must be submitted electronically via web by midnight ET on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Up to 12 poems will be selected as finalists and posted on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website prior to the Festival. Finalists will also be asked to record a video of themselves reading their poems, which will accompany their poem in print on Gaithersburg Book Festival website for fan favorite voting. A release will be required.
Complete rules and regulations can be found on the GBF website. Questions can be emailed to writingcontest@gaithersburgbookfestival.org.
About the Gaithersburg Book Festival
The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence, which is celebrating 17 years in 2026. One of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the 2026 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm (506 S. Frederick Ave.) in Gaithersburg, Md. Activities will include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors and food, drink, ice cream and more. Admission and shuttles from Shady Grove Metro and Montgomery County Fairgrounds are FREE. The Gaithersburg Book Festival also hosts author events in Montgomery County throughout the year as a way to encourage continued appreciation for all things literary. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org, follow us on X @GburgBookFest or like us on Facebook.