The Poet’s Corner Contest is brought to you by the community lead Modesto Poet’s Corner Committee and the City of Modesto Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department. The contest is open to poets of any age who reside in Stanislaus County, and students who attend schools in Stanislaus County.
The 2025 Poet’s Corner contest is now open! Deadline for submissions is April 4, 2025.
Winning poems will be printed in a booklet that will be placed in the Poets’ Bookshelf, which contains published works by local writers and will be kept at the McHenry Museum. Each winner will receive a copy of the booklet.
The contest is open to any poet in Stanislaus County.
General: Any kind of poetry on any subject, unrhymed or rhymed. Free verse and formal poetry is welcome. Group of three haiku accepted as one entry.
Special: The Natural World — beautiful, destructive, sustaining. Write about nature — the wildness of it, the beauty of it, how it inspires and moves us, or how it can destroy with thoughtless abandon.
Poets will be invited to read their winning poems on Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at the McHenry Museum, followed by light refreshments.
Official Guidelines can be found at the City of Modesto’s website: https://www.modestogov.com/558/Poets-Corner-Contest.