C O N T E S T S
2024 Archdiocesan Middle School Sacred Poetry Contest
And the Winners are…
Catholic Literary Arts announces the winners of the 2024 Archdiocesan Middle School Sacred Poetry Contest
Sixth Grade: First Place Winner: Bridget Clinton, Saint Francis de Sales
Sixth Grade: Second Place Winner: Mason Wozniak, St. Anne Catholic School—Tomball
Sixth Grade: Third Place Winner: Reid Abdulahad, St. Helen Catholic School—Pearland
Seventh Grade: First Place Winner: Natalya Hromanik, St. Anthony of Padua
Seventh Grade: Second Place Winner: Frida Quiroga, Sacred Heart Catholic School—Crosby
Seventh Grade: Third Place Winner: Ariadne Jeskie, St. Anne Catholic School—Tomball
Eighth Grade: First Place Winner: Nefellie Frankel, St. Theresa Catholic School—Sugar Land
Eighth Grade: Second Place Winner: Megan Holden-Schmidt, St. Theresa Catholic School—Houston
Eighth Grade: Third Place Winner: Halley Abdulahad, St. Helen Catholic School—Pearland
Join us in celebrating these young winners, their families, principals, and teachers at an Awards Ceremony and Poetry Reading at the University of St. Thomas, April 10, 2023, 9:00 a.m. Jones Auditorium.
From the first-place winners, a poet laureate will be named.
The Awards Ceremony and Reading is free, but please R.S.V.P. to help us plan the reception afterwards.
Contest Information
Goal:
The goal of the Archdiocesan of Galveston-Houston Middle School Sacred Poetry Contest is to inspire students in the Archdiocesan-affiliated schools to write about spiritual topics, to increase writing skills, and to increase writing confidence.
Eligibility:
The Archdiocesan Middle School Poetry Contest is only open to students enrolled in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in a school affiliated with the Catholic Schools Office in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Students who are Catholic home-schoolers or are enrolled in independent Catholic schools in the Houston area are only eligible to enter the LUX Contest. Please go to this page for details of the 2024 LUX Contest.
Plagiarism:
New Action Item for 2024 Contest Entries: The Anti-Plagiarism Statement
To maintain the integrity of this contest every poem submitted must include an Anti-Plagiarism Statement at the top of the page.
Anti-Plagiarism Statement
I understand that plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in disqualification from the contest as well as other possible consequences.
Poems submitted without the Anti-Plagiarism Statement may be disqualified from participation in the contest.
To assist students to understand the definition of plagiarism and its seriousness, we offer this resource:
Prizes:
First, second, and third-place winners will be selected from each grade: sixth, seventh, and eighth.
All first through third-place winners in each grade will have their poems published in a Catholic Literary Arts Anthology and receive a paid full-tuition scholarship to attend Catholic Literary Arts’ Fearless Catholic Summer Writing Camp on June 10-14, 2024.
All Honorable Mentions will have their poems published in a Catholic Literary Arts Anthology and will receive a partial-paid tuition scholarship to attend Catholic Literary Arts Fearless Catholic Summer Writing Camp on June 10-14, 2024.
From the first-place winners in each grade: sixth, seventh, and eighth, one poet laureate will be chosen for the Archdiocesan Catholic schools.
Only first-place winners are eligible for consideration for the poet laureate designation. The first-place poems from each grade level will be published on the Catholic Literary Arts website.
First Prize Poet Laureate wins:
A $500 Cash Prize
A full Scholarship to Catholic Literary Arts’ Fearless Catholic Summer Writing Camp, June 10-14, 2024.
Theme:
For the 2024 Archdiocesan Middle School Poetry Contest, students will write about Eucharistic Adoration. Click here for a downloadable resource page of Eucharistic themes.
Guidelines:
Each student may submit one poem.
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 are unable to accept handwritten pages.
Both metrical verse and free verse are accepted.
The name of the student cannot appear on the poem/s. However, the student's name must appear in the submission form along with all other requested information when the poem is submitted.
The name of the school and the student’s grade must appear on every page of the poem.
All poems must be original, unpublished in print, and 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: $55 per participating school.
All submissions are handled through Submittable.
IF this contest does not have 50 entries by February 28, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. CST, then it will be regrettably cancelled for this year. Thank you for your understanding.
Each poem submitted must contain the Anti-Plagiarism Statement below.
Timeline:
Contest Period: December 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. CST on March 1st.
Announcement of Winners: On March 20, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. CST. Winners will be announced on www.CatholicLiteraryArts.org
Contacting Teachers: Beginning on March 18, 2024 the contact teachers or designated contact person at each school of a winning poem will receive an email and/or phone call from CLA.
Awards Ceremony: Winners will be invited to read their entries at the Awards Ceremony in-person with their families, friends, school principals, and submitting teachers. The Awards Ceremony will take place at the University of Saint Thomas in Jones Auditorium on April 10, 2024, beginning at 9:00 am CST. A short reception will follow.
Register for the Archdiocesan Poetry Winners Reading & Celebration
Join Catholic Literary Arts to celebrate the winners of the 2024 Archdiocesan Sacred Poetry Contest for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The reading by the winners will be at nine a.m. on April 10, 2024 at the University of St. Thomas, Jones Hall, in the auditorium.
The celebration will begin with a welcome by UST president, Dr. Richard Ludwick. Then we will all revel in listening to the winning poems written by the young poets in joyous praise of the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus Christ. We welcome the friends and family of our young poets, and we look forward to reconnecting with the incredible teachers and principals of the schools where the students attend full-time..
The 2024 Archdiocesan poet laureate will be named during the ceremony.
Please register here so that we are able to provide coffee and pastries for all guests after the poetry reading. Donations are accepted.
Submission of Poems:
Submission is a three-step process and is completed by a person authorized to act on behalf of the school, such as an instructional specialist or a teacher.
If you have more than one entrant in a grade level, please use this batch submission form.
Step One: Register
Fill out the information form for your school. All blanks must be completed. We need complete information to properly credit your school’s payment for the entry fee. After completing this form, return to this page for payment.
Registrations are separated by grade level.
Step Two: Payment
Click the Pay Now button to pay for your school’s entry.
Step Three: Submit Entry
Click the appropriate “Submit Entry to Submittable” button and you will be taken to the Submittable website to submit your entry/entries.