At least 50 poems by high school poets will be selected for inclusion in the anthology, and those poets will be invited to participate in an awards ceremony and reading in May 2026. Submissions open for the 2026 High School Poetry Contest on December 1, 2025 and close February 28, 2026.

The contest is open to any high school student (grades 9-12) residing in the San Francisco Bay Area (not limited to Marin County). We are working hard to reach underrepresented students whose writing has not been included in past contests or anthologies.

Submissions are limited to 3 poems per student. All poems should be organized in a single document (PDF only). No identifying information should be included in this document or in the file name.

Individual poems should be no longer than 2 pages* using a 12-point plain font

*We have increased the page limit from 1 to 2 pages, but this will be a strict limit. Poems that use columns to get around the page limit will be disqualified. If you use columns, make sure it is a formal choice that adds meaning to the poem; for example, the poem can be read both horizontally and vertically.

There are monetary prizes for the winners:

1st place: $200

2nd place: $100

3rd place: $75

Submit here: Available December 1st

Please address any questions to Maxine at highschool@marinpoetrycenter.org

Submissions will be judged on:

• Courage of expression
• Originality of language
• Skill in poetic technique

How teachers can help:

• If your poetry unit coincides with the contest submission period, encourage your students to submit their best work.
• Talk to students about the contest to stimulate interest.
• Set aside some class time for students to create their Submittable accounts and submit their poems.
• Encourage students to refine and submit poems they may be working on.
• Encourage students to submit poems created for slam or other poetry clubs.
• Post the flyer and contest guidelines in your classroom, on Google Classroom, or in your school’s newsletter.
• Please help us spread the word and let other interested teachers know about the contest

Meet This Year's Judge!

Kehinde Badiru is a writer, content designer, and educator. He received an MFA Degree in Creative Writing from Saint Mary’s College of California. Kehinde’s poetry and short stories have appeared in journals and anthologies, and have been exhibited at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Kehinde writes for digital products and continues to inspire students and budding writers to share their stories with the world.