The 25th Annual Poetry Contest is here! 

Welcome to Fresno County Public Library's 25th Annual Poetry Contest.  Submit your poems between April 1st and April 30th. Poems will be judged by talented, local professionals and our winners will be celebrated at an in-person Awards Ceremony in June.


DATES
The contest runs from April 1– April 30.
Winning poems will be announced online and in person in June.  

CATEGORIES
3rd-5th Grade
6th-8th Grade
9th-12th Grade
Adult (18 and up)

PRIZES
Prizes have been generously donated by our sister community benefit organization, The Friends of the Fresno County Public Library. This year, the top three winners in each category will receive the following prizes:

Prizes for 3rd - 5th Grade and 6th - 8th Grade categories are:
1st Place: $200 Gift Card to Petunias Place Children's Bookstore
2nd Place: $100 Gift Card to Petunias Place Children's Bookstore
3rd Place: $50 Gift Card to Petunias Place Children's Bookstore

Prizes for 9th - 12th Grande and Adult (18 and up) are:
1st Place: $200 Gift Card to Barnes & Noble
2nd Place: $100 Gift Card to Barnes & Noble
3rd Place: $50 Gift Card to Barnes & Noble

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at communityservices@fresnolibrary.org.  

RULES AND GUIDELINES
  • Submit your poem using the link on this site.
  • Participants must be residents of Fresno County.
  • One poem can be submitted per person.
  • Poems written in previous years can be submitted.
  • No previously published poems will be accepted (including but not limited to theses, academic journals, and online publications).
  • Poems can be submitted in English or Spanish. 
  • Participants will retain the copyright on their poems.
  • FCPL reserves the right to not publish poems that violate the FCPL Rules of Conduct and Comments Policy (linked below).
  • Participants are responsible for ensuring the poems submitted do not violate the guidelines for the contest and are not plagiarized or violate an existing copyright.

Remember: This contest is for all ages so please use appropriate language. The Library reserves the right to not publish or post entries. Poems that violate the FCPL Rules of Conduct and the Comments policy (linked below) or violate the rules of the FCPL Poetry Contest will not be eligible and will not be published.




April is National Poetry Month and this year we have added a new component to our Annual Poetry Contest on our beanstack LibraryClub!

Sign up for the Poetry Month Challenge on beanstack to start playing Bingo and earning new badges. You can even invite friends and keep track of your reading all year long.

But I'm Here!

Rushed in this morning, a bit behind,

Not dressed right, homework left to find.

No pencil with me, but don't you worry,

I'm here to learn, no need to hurry.
 

Dressed a bit different, it's a small mistake,

Ready to learn, for knowledge's sake.

No pencil, no notes on my page,

But I'm here, setting off on a learning stage.


 In the morning's hurry, a bit of a mess,

I stand here, ready, no need to guess.

Not perfect, but I'm standing strong,

Excited to join the classroom and belong.
 

Through challenges and hurdles, I'll strive,

A journey of growth, this student's drive.

Not flawless, but ready to shine,

In the classroom's world, this place is mine.

--Zahlia B., 3rd-5th Grade

Spider Web

In the heart of California's land, 

Fresno stands proudly, grand 

Orchards bloom with fruits so sweet, 

A city where cultures meet 

From the vineyards to the streets, 

Fresno's spirit never retreats 

Diverse and vibrant, full of life, 

A place where dreams take flight 

In the valley's embrace, it thrives, 

A gem under California's skies 

Fresno, a city with a story to tell, 

Where community and history dwell. 

My forever home.

--Gabriela O.Y., 9th-12th Grade

Flores

Flowers
The key to love, known for beauty, and memorable aroma 

Flowers are like women 

Flowers 

Seen as nothing more or less than their beautiful petals 

Buyers don’t bother to know the true meaning of flowers 

It only matters if the beauty of the flower is seized by the eye 

When the beauty of a flower withers away, it is treated and thrown out like a weed

--Karen P., 9th-12th Grade

O’ To the Yosemite

O’ To The Yosemite 
Land of Tenaya 
As the Majesties
 Of the Creations 
Of our Forces Give 
From Where our Spirit Lives. 
May Those of Today,
 Journey Back to 
The Feelings of Peace And of Natural Rhythms
 Of the Clouds And of The Seas. 


O’ From the Yosemite 
Land of Tenaya
 Bent to Yield 
Forgiveness to 
Those Who Tread 
Your Gracefulness 
Through Your Forests, 
Through Your Streams, 
Laden with Your Beauty. 


O’ To the Yosemite 
Land of Tenaya 
Reaching Out 
To Those Yet to Come. 
Hope For This Land-
Your Love Lasting-
Ever Stretched in Beauty, 
Your Voice Like a 
Soft Breeze in the Rustling Branches 
Of Your Heaving Breast, 
Babbling Brooks, Splashing Waters of Your Cascades. 
Give us Your Peace.
--Barbara P., Adult

"I don't know enough to have an opinion"



Meanwhile, 
Bombardment wreaks havoc
Upon the domestic dwellings of 
Children who are bludgeoned by the 
Bricks that 
They once called home. 

Hospitals fall, aid workers are slaughtered, mass
Graves of fathers, mothers, petite little angels are 
Swept under the rug in the name of self defense. 

W-
    A-
        R

            C-
                R-
                    I-
                        M-
                            E-
                                S 

                            On our dime. 

Weaponized ignorance is not an option
In an age of endless access to information.
Complacency fuels GENOCIDE almost as fast
As the cycle in which the 
Oppressed become the oppressors.

--Nicole J., Adult

My Brother is Crying

My brother is crying
Oh no no.
But I have some things to cheer him up though.
A clown, a stuffie
But those don’t work.
And now he’s turning it into a yell.
My brother is crying
Oh no no.
Now I don’t have anything to cheer him up though!

--Olivia C., Guest Poet

Night

Moon is bright,
Stars are out, 
Crickets are chirping all around. 
Moonlit night and starry skies, 
Goodnight to the twinkling lights.

-Irena M., 3rd-5th Grade