2026 High School Poetry Contest
2026 High School Poetry Contest
Calling All Young Poets!
The Friends of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge invite high school students to put pen to paper and share their voice for the natural world. We're looking for original poems on conservation, birding, and wildlife protection, whether inspired by a Great Blue Heron stalking the edge of the Great Salt Marsh, shorebirds racing the tide, or the bigger question of how we care for the wild places around us.
Three winners will take home cash prizes and be featured readers at The Friends Annual Poetry Event on Saturday, November 7, and every poet who enters will be invited to share their work at the event.
Prizes
- First Prize: $100
- Second Prize: $50
- Third Prize: $25
Contest Guidelines
- Open to current high school students, ages 14–19
- Poems must focus on conservation, birding, and wildlife protection
- Poems should not exceed 26 lines
- Poems will be judged on content, complexity of form, and creativity
How to Submit
Deadline: Friday, October 23, 2026, by 5:00 p.m. No poems will be accepted after the deadline.
Every submission must include the student's:
- Name
- Address
- School
- Email address (winners will be notified by email)
Submit by email: pgouldvisions@gmail.com
Or submit by mail:
Peg Gould
The Friends of Parker River
6 Plum Island Turnpike
Newburyport, MA 01950
Winners Announced: Winners will be notified by email by November 1, 2026.
The Friends Annual Poetry Event
- Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Location: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport
Each contest winner will be a featured reader at the event, and all poets who submit are invited to share their poems.
Celebrate nature. Share your voice. Inspire change.
The Poetry Contest is sponsored by the Friends of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
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