Gaithersburg Book Festival Launches Annual High School Poetry Contest
Winning Poet to be Announced at May 21, 2022 Festival
Gaithersburg, Md. – October 15, 2021 – The Gaithersburg Book Festival is proud to announce that its annual high school poetry contest is now open for submissions. 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 21, 2022, taking place at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm, 506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, Md. 20877.
“We’re so excited to again feature a High School Poetry Contest as part of the Gaithersburg Book Festival,” said Jud Ashman, Festival chair and Mayor of the City of Gaithersburg. “Last year’s contest entrants knocked it out of the park with their poems, and we expect this year to be no different.”
To participate, students must be enrolled in grades 9-12 at a public or private school, or be in a homeschool program, for the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, entrants must reside in Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia.
This year, students are asked to craft a poem on one of three topics: freedom, escape or community.
Poems should:
- Be on one of the topics: freedom, escape or community
- Be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx)
- Be typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman
- Be one page in length
- Only include the title of the poem in the filename (e.g., The_Red_Fern.doc)
- Not include the name of the student or school in the file. That information will be requested on the application.
- Be the original work of the student and not have been previously published online or in print
Poems must be submitted electronically via this URL by midnight ET on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
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 be posted on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website. Note that submission of poems grants the Gaithersburg Book Festival the right to publish, distribute, transmit and exhibit them without financial compensation. See Poetry Contest web page for details.
Prizes will be provided courtesy of Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus.
Complete rules and regulations can be found on the Poetry Contest web page. Questions can be emailed to writingcontest@
A flyer is available for download, to post and share with students and faculty.
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About the Gaithersburg Book Festival
The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. One of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the 2022 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 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. FREE admission and accessible shuttle will be available from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall. 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.