6th Annual Adult & Teen Poetry Contest

Submissions Accepted
March 1–March 31, 2024

Café on Thursday, April 25

Calling all teen and adult poets and poets-at-heart: Let’s get ready for April's National Poetry Month together!

The New Lenox Public Library will be hosting a month-long poetry contest to highlight your creativity. Submit a poem on any topic and in a style of your choosing.

  • All poems will be published in our annual poetry booklet.
  • Prizes will be awarded to the top poems in each of the following age categories: Grades 7–9, Grades 10–12, and Adult.
  • Only one poem per person can be entered.
  • Entries accepted only within the United States.

The poem can be any length, type/form, and topic, but because we publish the poems for our community to read, the topic must be appropriate for a wide range of ages.

Poetry Contest 2024, March 1–31

Poetry Café

Join us to celebrate National Poetry Month with a Poetry Café. Come read your favorite poem, share an original work or just come and listen!

Plus, we are launching the release of our 2023 poetry booklet! Be sure to stop in and get your copy.

More about the Poetry Café


Download Past Annual Poetry & Art Journals

The 2023 Indeliable print journal can be picked up at the Adult & Teen Services Desk upstairs.

2019 Indeliable cover

Download 2019's Indelible (PDF, 502 KB), a celebration of poetry by teens.

2020 Indeliable cover

Download 2020's Indelible (PDF, 15.6 MB), a celebration of poetry and art by teens.

2021 Indeliable cover

Download 2021's Indelible (PDF, 10 MB), a celebration of poetry and art by adults and teens.

2022 Indeliable cover

Download 2022's Indelible (PDF, 1.9 MB), a celebration of poetry by adults and teens.


Submit Your Poem

All poems will be published in our annual poetry booklet. Prizes will be awarded to the top poems in each age category.

The entry form will open at 12 AM on March 1 and close at 11:59 PM on March 31.

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