C O N T E S T S


2022 Archdiocesan Middle School Poetry Contest


And the Winners are…

Sixth Grade: First Place Winner: Mariella Gaitan, Magnolia School-Houston

Sixth Grade: Second Place Winner: Gage Pilkinton, St. Laurence Catholic School-Sugar Land

Sixth Grade: Third Place Winner: Claire Urruty, St. Anne Catholic School-Tomball

Sixth Grade: Honorable Mention: Isabella Del Valle, St. Anthony of Padua-The Woodlands

Sixth Grade: Honorable Mention: Abby Eldridge, St. Rose of Lima

 

Seventh Grade: First Place Winner: Simone Wollin, St. Theresa-Houston

Seventh Grade: Second Place Winner: Mia Lopez, St. Francis de Sales

Seventh Grade: Third Place Winner: Anna Nguyen, St. Francis de Sales

Seventh Grade: Honorable Mention: Heather Davidson, Magnolia School-Houston

Seventh Grade: Honorable Mention: Mariska Masa, Holy Rosary-Rosenberg

 

Eighth Grade:  First Place Winner: Maria Jesko, St. Theresa Catholic School-Sugar Land

Eighth Grade:  Second Place Winner: Caitlyn Andreas, St. Francis de Sales

Eighth Grade:  Third Place Winner: Matias Garcia-Prats, St. Francis de Sales

Eighth Grade: Honorable Mention: Gabriela Garza, St. Joseph-Baytown

Eighth Grade: Honorable Mention: Chloe Flores, St. Joseph-Baytown

Eighth Grade: Honorable Mention: Annabelle Cody, Magnolia School-Houston

Join us in celebrating these young winners, their families, principals, and teachers, at a reading at the University of St. Thomas, April 26, 2022, 8:30 a.m. Jones Auditorium.  

From the first-place winners, a poet laureate will be named.

R.S.V.P. is required through Eventbrite.


Contest Information


Goal:

The goal of the Archdiocesan Middle School Poetry Contest is to inspire students to write about spiritual topics, increase writing skills, and increase writing confidence.

 

Eligibility:

The Archdiocesan Middle School Poetry Contest is only open to students enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

 

Prizes:

  • First, second, and third prize winners will be selected from each grade: sixth, seventh, and eighth.

  • All first through third prize winners in each grade will have their poems published in a Catholic Literary Arts Anthology and a paid full-tuition scholarship to attend Catholic Literary Arts’ Fearless Catholic Summer Writing Camp on June 13-17, 2022.

  • From the first-place winners in each grade: sixth, seventh, and eighth, a poet laureate will be chosen for the Catholic schools in the archdiocese. 

  • Only first-place winners are eligible for consideration for the poet laureate designation and the first prize-winning poems will be published on the Catholic Literary Arts website.

  • First Prize Poet Laureate wins:

    ○ A $500 Cash Prize

    ○ Full Scholarship to Catholic Literary Arts’ Fearless Catholic Summer Writing Camp

Theme:

For the 2022 Archdiocesan Middle School Poetry Contest, students will write a poem related to the Spiritual Works of Mercy:

  • To instruct the ignorant

  • To counsel the doubtful

  • To admonish sinners

  • To bear wrongs patiently

  • To forgive offenses willingly

  • To comfort the afflicted

  • To pray for the living and the dead

 Guidelines:

  • Each student may submit a maximum of four poems.

  • Each poem should be a maximum of 32 lines; the title and stanza breaks do not count as lines.

  • Poems must be typed with a Times New Roman or Arial 12 point font. We regret that we're unable to accept handwritten pages.

  • Form: all forms and free verse are accepted.

  • The name of the author cannot appear on the poem/s. Student's name must appear in the submission form when the poem is submitted along with all other requested information.

  • All poems must be original, unpublished in print, unpublished on the web or in limited edition books.

  • Simultaneous submissions are not allowed. This means that if your poem is submitted to this contest it cannot be submitted to other contests or for publication in journals, magazines, newspapers, or online while we are considering it for this contest.

  • Entry Fee: $45 per participating school.

  • All submissions are handled through Submittable.


This is a three part process:

  1. To enable us to match your payment to your school, fill out the form and click “Register”

  2. Click the “Pay Now” button to pay for your school’s entry.

  3. Click “Submit Entry to Submittable” to submit your entry/entries and you will be taken to the Submittable site.



Pay with PayPal

 

Timeline:

  • Contest Period: February 1 to April 8, 2022. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. on April 8th

  • Announcement of Winners: On April 12, 2022 at 11:59 p.m., winners will be announced on www.CatholicLiteraryArts.org

  • Contacting Teachers/Parents: On April 13-14 the Winners’ Teachers and Parents will receive an email and/or phone call confirming attendance at the Awards Ceremony.

  • Awards Ceremony: Tuesday, April 26, 8:30 a.m., CST. Winners will be invited to read their entries at the Awards Ceremony in-person with their families, school principals, and submitting teachers.