Poetry Contest
The Enoch Pratt Free Library Poetry Contest is an annual event open to Maryland poets age 18 and older.
Maryland poets, this contest is for you! The winning poem, to be announced in mid-April, will be published in Little Patuxent Review and celebrated at a public reading hosted by the Pratt Library and Little Patuxent Review. It may also be displayed at the Central Library or turned into a collectible broadside.
Contest Rules
- Entrants must be Maryland residents, 18 or older.
- Paid or volunteer staff of the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Little Patuxent Review and their immediate families are not eligible, nor are previous Pratt Library Poetry Contest first-place winners.
- Please send only one original poem, on any theme and in any form, for consideration.
- Your entry must be unpublished, either in print or online, including personal blogs, Facebook, or X (formerly Twitter). It cannot be currently under review for possible publication.
- Your entry must not exceed 100 lines.
- Submit your typed entry as a Microsoft Word attachment by email to contest@prattlibrary.org or by mail to:
Poetry Contest, Fiction & Humanities Department
Pratt Library, 400 Cathedral St.
Baltimore, MD 21201-4484
- All entries must be received by Saturday, March 1, 2025.
- Please submit your name, address, phone number, and a brief biography on a separate page. Please do not put your name, address, phone number, or biography on the entry itself. Our judges will see only the poem.
- Confirmation of receipt and comments on your entry will not be provided, nor will your entry be returned to you.
Learn More
Questions? Email contest@prattlibrary.org or call (410) 396-5484.
Interested in past winners? Check out the poems that won in previous years (PDF).
Help us spread the word! Print and share a Poetry Contest flyer (PDF).
Check out our upcoming poetry events for adults:
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Join us online for a discussion of the poetry of Gary Snyder. We hope to discuss some of the following poems: "…January 11, 11 AM -
Join us online for a discussion of the poetry of Rita Dove. We hope to discuss some of the following poems: "Geometry"…February 8, 11 AM -
Join us for a reading and conversation with poets Steven Leyva and Valzhyna Mort. About The Opposite of Cruelty…March 8, 3 PM
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