Poetry Contest
The Enoch Pratt Free Library Poetry Contest is an annual event open to Maryland poets age 18 and older.
Maryland poets, this contest is for you! The winning poem, to be announced in mid-April, will be published in Poet Lore and celebrated at a public reading hosted by the Pratt Library and Poet Lore. It may also be displayed at the Central Library or turned into a collectible broadside.
Contest Rules
- Entrants must be Maryland residents, 18 or older.
- Paid or volunteer staff of the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Poet Lore and their immediate families are not eligible, nor are previous Pratt Library Poetry Contest first-place winners.
- Please send only one poem, on any theme and in any form, for consideration.
- The poem must be your original work and must not include material generated by AI.
- Your entry must be unpublished, either in print or online, including personal blogs, Facebook, Instagram, and X. It cannot be currently under review for possible publication.
- Your entry must not exceed 100 lines.
- Submit your typed entry as a Microsoft Word attachment (.doc or .docx) by email to contest@prattlibrary.org, or by mail to:
Poetry Contest, Fiction & Humanities Department
Pratt Library, 400 Cathedral St.
Baltimore, MD 21201-4484 - All entries must be received by Sunday, March 1, 2026.
- Please submit your name, address, phone number, and a brief biography on a separate page. Please do not put your name, address, phone number, or biography on the entry itself. Our judges will see only the poem.
- Confirmation of receipt and comments on your entry will not be provided, nor will your entry be returned to you.
Learn More
Questions? Email contest@prattlibrary.org or call (410) 396-5484.
Interested in past winners? Check out the poems that won in previous years (PDF).
Help us spread the word! Print and share a Poetry Contest flyer (PDF).
Check out our upcoming poetry events for adults:
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Office Hours with Taylor Johnson are canceled on February 21 and March 4. Drop by during office hours with the 2025-2026…February 4, 3 PM -
Bring a love poem — written not by you, but by a poet you admire — to share with the group. Or just bring yourself…February 14, 11 AM -
Join us for an Open Mic Night for all Baltimore poets and beyond. This month will be focused on Black History Month content…February 19, 6 PM -
Join 2025-2026 Hackerman Writer in Residence poet Taylor Johnson for the fifth in a monthly poetry-writing workshop series…February 21, 2 PM
Writer in Residence
The Hackerman Writer in Residence Program is a unique writer's residency designed to bring creatives from all corners of Baltimore together to share and create at the Pratt Library.
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