To celebrate National Poetry Month and Oklahoma, the Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry conducts an annual Oklahoma Poem Contest, with cash prizes and medals for the winners. Prizes are given out each year at Wonder City Wordfest in Locust Grove. Winners do not need to be present.

2023 Oklahoma Poem Contest Details:

To enter, write your own creative poem that honors or celebrates Oklahoma in some way.

Contest Guidelines:                             CASH PRIZES

1. Only Oklahoma residents are eligible to enter.
2. Poems will be judged in 4 categories: K-4th, 5th-8th, 9th-12th, and Adult
3. Cash awards will be given in each category. Medals will be given for runners-up.
4. The maximum length for poems is 30 lines.
5. Poems can be rhymed or unrhymed.
6. One poem per person.
7. Previous winning poems cannot be submitted again.
8. A signed Entry Form or declaration of originality (see Email instructions below) must be turned in with the poem.

Contest Evaluation Criteria:

Poems will be judged based on these criteria: imagery, creativity, language, and theme. Poems must clearly  be on the Oklahoma theme to be considered for the contest.

To Submit:                   DEADLINE: April 7, 2023

1. Mail your poem with the attached entry form

OR

2. Email your poem in the body of an email or as an attachment to ROMPoetry@gmail.com. Put OKLAHOMA POEM CONTEST in your Subject Line. You must include this information in the body of your email or you will not be entered in the contest:

a. Name
b. Full Mailing Address (include address or PO box, town and zip)
c. Category: K-4th, 5th-8th, 9th-12th, Adult
d. Originality Confirmation: (include this sentence in your email): I confirm that the attached poem was written by me and is original to me.
e. Complete Poem with Title

NOTE: Because of the number of entries and the time involved, you will not be notified when your entry is received. Please keep your own copy of your poem.

FOR TEACHERS: If you want to enter a group of student poems, you can send them all in the mail or in an email to us so that individual students do not have to send his/her poem in. Just make sure that each student has written the Originality sentence and included the other information above. THANKS!

Winners will be notified in advance of Wonder City Wordfest, and they will be announced formally on this page and on Facebook on that day.

2022 Oklahoma Poem Contest Winners

In 2022, we received 526 entries, the most we have ever received. Competition was extremely tough! Thank you to everyone who entered!

K-4^th Grade

1. Lizabeth Bundy, Idabel, “The Sooner State”
2. Lana Smith, Tuttle, “Oklahoma Buffalo”
3. Kambryi Bowles, Tuttle, “The Oklahoma Honeybee”

5^th-8^th Grade

1. Tsuguaki Katoh, Tulsa, “A Place I’ve Seen Grow”
2. Payton Marlin, Inola, “Day at the Ranch”
3. Sadie Ferguson, Wagoner, “Oklahoma Masterpiece”

9^th-12 Grade

1. Lucas Buzzelli, Claremore, “Frogs from an Oklahoma Clearing”
2. Reese Akins, Edmond, “My Oklahoma”
3. Eric Geng, Norman, “Mother Oklahoma”

Adult

1. Cody Swinson, Lexington, “A Feather Blows”
2. Regina Philpott McLemore, Stilwell, “Shades of Oklahoma”
3. Jeffry Baggett, Tulsa, “Council Oak Tree”

READ WINNING POEMS (pdf): 2022 Oklahoma Poem Contest Winners

 

Oklahoma Poem Contest Winners 2021

K-5^th Grade

1. Easton King, Lawton, Epic Charter School
2. Panashe Mushonga, Oklahoma City, Home-Schooled
3. Evan Foresman, Yukon, Independence Intermediate

6^th-8^th Grade

1. Hayden Barrowman, Norman, Whittier Middle School
2. Mykayla Shearer, Chickasha, Friend School
3. TIE: Kyler Nida, Harrah, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School
   and Hannah Joo, Norman, Terra Verde Discovery School

9^th-12^th Grade

1. Emma Cinocca, Tulsa, Jenks High School
2. Lucas Buzzelli, Claremore, Claremore High School
3. TIE: Kayley Ray, Lenapah, Oklahoma Union
   and Kaitlyn Pierce, Nowata, Oklahoma Union

Adult

1. Jen Handsel, Tulsa
2. Kathy Snyman, Locust Grove
3. Emily Geest, Stillwater
   Honorable Mention: Kathryn Lawler, Norman

The winning poems for 2021 can be read in THIS DOCUMENT. Prizes will be mailed to the winners! The winning poems will also be on display in the museum.

The Oklahoma Poem Contest takes place every year with a deadline in early April.

Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry
2020 Oklahoma Poem Contest Winning Poets

Adult

1^st, Aunika Anderson, Spiro
2^nd, Jacquelyn Magrady, Tulsa
3^rd, Zachary Wilhite, Claremore

9^th-12^th Grade

1^st, Kaylee Bowman, Grove
2^nd, Justin Herlan, Bluejacket
3^rd, Harley Lee, Bluejacket

5^th-8^th Grade

1^st, Aurora Parks, Pryor
2^nd, Ashlie Nguyen, Yukon
3^rd, Zack Strong, Yukon

K-4^th Grade

1^st, Jediah Harrison, Grove
2^nd, MeKenzie Smith, Yukon
3^rd, Silas Jackson, Grove

Oklahoma Poem Contest 2020: Winning Poems

2019 Oklahoma Poem Contest Winners

Adult

1^st, Hannah Ewton, Claremore

2^nd, Darron Dunbar, Oklahoma City

3^rd, Mary McCloskey, Oklahoma City

9^th-12^th

1^st, Palmer Strubhar, Piedmont

5^th-8^th

1^st, Lahna Erwin

2^nd, Ivy Snyder

3^rd, Ashley Smith

K-4^th

1^st, Zack Strong, Yukon

2^nd Alexander Spruill, El Reno & Kaylee Porter, Yukon

3^rd, Leslie Bernal, Tulsa

CLICK HERE to see photos by Zack Strong’s grandfather Lonnie Rickey at Wonder City Wordfest

2019 OK Winning Poems

Poem by Darron Dunbar

2018 Oklahoma Poem Contest Winners

Photographs of the winners who were at the ceremony can be found HERE.

Category: K-5^th Grade

1^st
Aurora Parks, Roosevelt Elementary, Pryor

2^nd
Amelia Hanlan, Independence Elementary, Yukon

3^rd (tie)
Madison Mennecke, LGUE, Locust Grove

Parker Hensley, Independence Elementary, Yukon

Category: 6^th-8^th Grade

1st
Erin Bendabout, LGMS, Locust Grove

2nd
Jerah Bighorse, LGMS, Locust Grove

3^rd (tie)
Miranda Blossom, LGMS, Locust Grove

Mya Phillips, LGMS, Locust Grove

Category: 9th-12th Grade

1st

Jasmine Alverado, Emerson South, Oklahoma City

2nd
Sierra Murphy, LGHS, Locust Grove

3rd
Audra Cunningham, LGHS, Locust Grove

Category: Adult

1^st
Casey Mclerran, Sapulpa

2^nd
Debra Martin, Edmond

3^rd
Hannah Eaton, Claremore

You can read all of the winning poems in a pdf by clicking HERE.

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