Deadline: 

*POSTMARK DATE: January 21, 2024

*RECEIVED by February 04, 2024 (Please MAIL; no electronic submissions.)

Category 6. Youth Poetry 

Junior Division: Middle School 6th-8th grades 

Senior Division: High School 9th-12th grades

Special Rules for Youth Poetry (for MSPS Contest Category 6 only): 

1. One FREE entry per Missouri student, currently in grades 6-12. 

2. Students may individually submit or poems may be submitted by teachers. 

3. Any form of poetry accepted except “found poetry” or poems that rely on special fonts or formats to be meaningful.

4. Each poem must be neatly typed or computer-generated, and have no more than 30 lines including space lines with no line having more than 45 characters including spaces and punctuation (violation of these details will result in disqualifaction). Every poem entered should appear on a single sheet. Do not staple the two copies of the poem together.

5. There should be no large or unusual fonts or illustrations. Times New Roman, 12 point is the suggested font. Winning poems are printed in the state anthology and large and/or unusual fonts impede the process. Larger fonts also make it impossible to confine the poem to one page, which is required.

6. Cash prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Seven honorable mentions will receive certificates. 

7. First place winners will be published in the MSPS Anthology Grist. 

8. Students will be notified of MSPS and Manningham winnings through their schools. 

How to SUBMIT YOUTH ENTRIES:

Poets may be submitted individually or as a class.

Submit TWO TYPED copies (failure to include the following info will result in disqualification) 

·         On both copies put the division level (junior—gr 6-8 or senior—gr 9-12) of the entry in the top left corner.

·         On one copy do not put any other information. Only the division and the poem.

·         On the second copy put the student’s ID information in the top right corner:        

Student Name

School Name

School Address

Grade level

Student’s language arts/English teacher’s name/email address

·         At the bottom of the second copy either print and sign or attach a signed copy of the Statement of Originality which is included below. Every entry must be the student’s original work and must include this statement signed by the student. Entries without this will be omitted!

Submission Deadline: Submissions must be RECEIVED by February 04, 2024.

Statement of Originality: I certify that this poem is my original work, and has not been copied in whole or in part from any author’s poems, songs or other writing including work posted on the internet or heard from any audio recording or listening device. 

   Student Signature______________________

   Date_________ 

Mail Youth entries to: 

    MSPS YOUTH WORKS DIRECTOR
    c/o Terrie Jacks
    275 Glandore Dr.
    Ballwin, MO. 63021

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Photographs of Missouri scenes are reproduced courtesy of Lee Ann Russell, poet from Springfield, Missouri.