Programs for Students
2023 Write Where You Are Poetry Contest
K-12 Poetry Contest
Deadline: March 1, 2023
The National Writing Project at Kent State University is accepting submissions for our annual Write Where You Are Poetry Contest open to all Ohio students in grades K-12. Our professional organization is dedicated to training teachers as writers and helping students find their voice in our ever-changing world. Poems about physical places that hold special meaning to the writers will be accepted through March 1, 2023. Poems may be submitted by teachers or parents on behalf of interested students using the form for the appropriate grade band below. Download the flyer here.

2022 Youth Writing Camp Postponed; Returning To In-Person Format in 2023
UPDATE: Due to low enrollment, the 2022 Virtual Youth Writing Camp has been postponed. We are planning to offer the camp as an in-person event in the summer of 2023 on Kent State's beautiful Kent Campus. Please stay tuned for details about a 2023 Youth Writing Camp.
The camp sparks kids' creativity, allows them to choose what to write, and provides them with the opportunity to express themselves in a variety of media while sharing their writing with a supportive audience. We look forward to seeing you in 2023!
UPDATE: Due to low enrollment, the 2022 Virtual Youth Writing Camp has been postponed. We are planning to offer the camp as an in-person event in the summer of 2023 on Kent State's beautiful Kent Campus. Please stay tuned for details about a 2023 Youth Writing Camp.
The camp sparks kids' creativity, allows them to choose what to write, and provides them with the opportunity to express themselves in a variety of media while sharing their writing with a supportive audience. We look forward to seeing you in 2023!
2022 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners
For the 2022 Write Where You Are Poetry Contest, K-12 students across Ohio wrote original poems about physical places that hold special meaning to them. The poems were judged based on the writer’s ability to encapsulate, on one page, the emotional impact of one place.
Winning poems: Grades 3-5: Cole Minich for “Hole in One” Grades 6-8: Emma Chelbezan for "The Lake" Grades 9-12: Danica Banks for "Hospital" Read the winning poetry entries in the downloadable 2022 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine linked to the image on the left. Thank you to all writers who submitted their work to this contest, and to our judges TCs Christiana Thompson and Jean Kanzinger. We appreciate every poem we had the honor to read! Thank you also to TC Amy Hirzel for managing the poetry contest. |
2021 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners

For the 2021 Write Where You Are Poetry Contest, K-12 students across Ohio were asked to write original poems about physical places which hold special meaning to them. After receiving dozens of submissions, the poems were judged based on the writer’s ability to encapsulate the emotional impact of one place on one page.
Click on the image to the left to access the winning poetry in the 2021 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine. In addition to print publication, 1st Place winners were honored with a special video reading of their poems from local authors. Thanks to all the writers who submitted their work to this contest. We appreciate every, single poem we had the honor to read!
Click on the image to the left to access the winning poetry in the 2021 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine. In addition to print publication, 1st Place winners were honored with a special video reading of their poems from local authors. Thanks to all the writers who submitted their work to this contest. We appreciate every, single poem we had the honor to read!
K-2 1st Place Winner
|
3-5 1st Place Winner
|