2026 Submissions Accepted:
April 1, 2026 - June 1, 2026
Theme: “What We’re Carrying Now”
Semi-Finalists: September 1, 2026
Finalists: October 20, 2026
“A poet is one who distills experience. A poet looks—sees.”
— Gwendolyn Brooks
Congratulations to Season 7 Winners!
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Congratulations to Season 7 Winners! 〰️
From Our Founder
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From Our Founder 〰️
Finding My Voice
“I feel a little like Sidney Shaw when she talks about hip-hop in Brown Sugar when I say this (haha), but it’s true: Poetry was my first love. It met me before I knew how to filter myself, before I learned how to be anything but honest. I could be raw. I could be messy. I could tell the truth in fragments and rhythms that mirrored my emotions.
Poetry taught me how to arrange my thoughts the way a DJ arranges sound. I learned how to sit with my feelings, work through them, and turn them into something beautiful.
Through the written and spoken word, I learned not just how to write, but how to speak, how to claim my voice. And it is my hope that through this contest, you will find your voice, too.”
Yecheilyah Ysrayl, Founder, Author + Poet
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