Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Program

Applications for the 2024 Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate opened November 1, 2023. Contest is now closed until winter 2024.

Are you a teen? Are you SUPER into poetry? We want to hear from you! 

The process for choosing the Youth Poet Laureate for Stanislaus County:

Teens ages 15–19 who reside or go to school in Stanislaus County may submit up to five original works of poetry demonstrating their commitment to the mastery of the art and craft of poetry. 

RULES: 

● Poems may be in any style or form. 

● You must submit at least 3 poems but no more than five poems. 

● Poems must be the original creative work of the poet. Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification from this and all future Youth Poet Laureate opportunities. 

● All poems must be typed. Single or double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman preferred unless the poem’s form dictates the format (example: blackout poetry, erasures, visual poetry, spoken word, etc.) 

● Brief artist statement/biography describing why you want to be a Youth Poet Laureate. Who inspired you to write poetry? 

● No gratuitous violence or sexual content. No hate speech. No slander. 

Submission Dates: 

The contest is now closed; the deadline was January 27, 2024.

IF SELECTED, POET: 

• will receive $500
• serve a one-year term from June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025
• must be available for public appearances throughout Stanislaus County
• must either live in or be enrolled in a school in Stanislaus County at time of submission and for the entire term if chosen 
• must attest that their work is solely their own original creative work
• will work with a mentor from the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center; display their poems in the Young Adult section of the Modesto Library and elsewhere; and will mentor others;
• will write at least 3 poems during their term and present these at events to be decided
• will be asked to participate in at least two poetry events in the community focusing on engaging other youth in poetry. Examples of these possible Youth Poet Laureate activities are as follows:
  • If they’d like to create a poetry-related project of their own, the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center will offer assistance/support; 
  • feature at a reading as part of the Second Tuesday Reading Series at the end of their term; and/or 
  • write a poem for the City of Modesto’s Poet’s Corner event.
• May be asked to serve a second term as YPL upon mutual agreement.

Promotion: 

Selected Youth Poet Laureate will be published in a variety of venues such as: 

• SCOE Arts Newsletter
•  Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center Newsletter, Social media, Website
• Stanislaus County Library Social Media, Website
• Newspaper Articles

Judging:

Poetry will be judged by a diverse panel of published poets and community members. 

Questions? Please email ypl@mostpoetry.org

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