High Schoolers: It’s Poetry Time!
We at GBF are proud to announce our 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, followed by an open mic reading from students and audience members.
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.
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.
Complete rules and regulations can be found on the GBF website. Questions can be emailed to writingcontest@gaithersburgbookfestival.org.