Programs for Students

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2025 "Write Where You Are" K-12 Poetry Contest Returns in October 2024

The National Writing Project at Kent State University is accepting submissions for a 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.

This year we will accept poetry in all forms based on the theme of "Write Where You Are." Students may write a poem about a place that holds special meaning to them: a bus stop, a corner in a classroom, a
moonlit groove beneath the stars. 

Although this contest has traditionally run in the spring, we want to connect it to the spirit of Write Out to increase educational resources and opportunities for educators on place-based writing. We highly encourage students and educators to check out NWP’s Write Out materials for inspiration and prompts. The contest opens during Write Out (October 13-26, 2024) and ends on December 2, 2024.
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​Winning poems will be published in the annual Write Where You Are Online Poetry Anthology.

Submission Guidelines
  • Poetry should not exceed ONE page of typed, 12 pt. font text.
  • Poetry should be original and written by an Ohio student
  • Students must submit to their appropriate grade category:
  • K-2, 3-5, 6-8. or 9-12.
  • Fill out the Submission Form
  • All poetry must be uploaded in a Word Document to the form 

Winners will be contacted and published in the new year.

Submission Forms
Grades K-2
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12

2024 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners

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The National Writing Project at Kent State University is pleased to announce the winners of the annual Write Where You Are Poetry Contest. Thanks to all the writers for the wonderful poetry entries and congratulations to our winners. Following the list of winners, you can view and download the Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine for 2024. Click the image to the left to open a copy of the Contest Magazine.

Winning Poets
Grades K-2
First Place: Aleena Ali, Austintown Elementary School
Second Place: Rylee Reardon, Austintown Elementary School
Third Place: Raelynn Watson, Austintown Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Gavin Lapushansky, Austintown Elementary School

Grades 3-5
First Place: Ryland Koch, Austintown Intermediate School
Second Place: Sophia Perline, Austintown Intermediate School
Third Place: River Barrette, Austintown Intermediate School
Honorable Mention: Lila Smith, Austintown Intermediate School

Grades 6-8
First Place: Shana Painter, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Second Place: Ayla Barnes, Lake Center Christian School
Third Place: Avery Schuster, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Honorable Mention: Elliot Gionfriddo, North Ridgeville Academic Center
Honorable Mention: Marynn Lacey, Nordonia Middle School

Grades 9-12
First Place: Lark Oehler, Medina High School
Second Place: Isabella Liu, Solon High School
Third Place: Ashley Todt, Independence High School
Honorable Mention: Leah Medley, Medina High School
Honorable Mention: Reese Patton, Revere High School

2023 "Write Where You Are" Poetry Contest Winners

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The National Writing Project at Kent State University (NWP-KSU) 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 were accepted through March 1, 2023. 

NWP-KSU would like to thank our Teacher-Consultants Amy Hirzel, Kate Walley, and Valerie Miller for making the Write Where You Are: K-12 Poetry Contest a success. A special thanks to Dr. Lori Wilfong and her students for their help. Thanks to Amy Hirzel for creating the contest, collecting the poems, and designing the poetry magazine. Finally, NWP-KSU would like to thank the students who wrote and submitted poems. Your words are an inspiration to us all.
     
Winning poems:
Grades K-2
   First Place: Jude Wesley Hilbert for “Tennessee Travels”
   Second Place: Avery Bohr for “Camelot Lanes”
​   Third Place: Grant Robert White for “My Tiny Closet”
Grades 3-5
   First Place: Keilana Miller for “The South Haven Sunset”
   Second Place: Sadie Lender for “My Swing on a Summer Day’
   Third Place: Reagan White for “My Home Away from Home”
Grades 6-8
   First Place: Callista Rountree for “Where Are You?”
   Second Place: Aleksandra Rosenblum for “Grandpa’s Living Room”
   Third Place: De’Andrea Miller for “In This World"
Grades 9-12
   First Place: Eleanor Kristan for “An Endless Sea”
   Second Place: Evan May for “The Field Behind My Home”
   Third Place: Diego Coutino Granados for “Concrete Embrace”
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Read the winning poetry entries in the 2023 Write Where You Are Poetry Magazine linked to the image above. ​

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

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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!  

K-2 1st Place Winner
Anna Fallow “The Creek”

Anna Fallow is a 1st grader at Cloverleaf Elementary. She enjoys playing with her hamster, swimming, and playing with her LOL dolls. Author Tricia Springstubb reads "The Creek."

6-8 1st Place Winner
Chloe Syslo “Campfire"

Chloe Syslo is an 8th grader at Kenston Middle School. She enjoys participating in Science Olympiad, building Lego sets, and listening to music. Author Annmarie Kelly-Harbaugh reads "Campfire."

3-5 1st Place Winner
Addison Fallow “In November"

Addison Fallow is a 5th grader at Cloverleaf Middle School. She enjoys Wakeboarding, fishing, and animals. Author Tricia Springstubb reads "In November."

9-12 1st Place Winner
Audrey Cary “Backyard Battalion”

Audrey Cary is a 12th grader at Holy Name High School. She enjoys playing bass, painting, and hiking.
Author Laura Grace Weldon reads "Backyard Battalion."

Click here to learn more about the judges and poetry readers for the 2021 Write Where You Are Poetry Contest.