Congratulations to this year's winners of the Whitby Library's annual Poetry Contest! The judges had a challenging time picking from all the exceptional entries. Thank you to all of the talented writers who participated. You can read the winners work here.
Teen Category:
Winner: “Queer in the Middle East” by Mishti Patel
Runner-Up: “I Am Both” by Sarah Zhao
Adult Category:
Winner: “More Than One Thing” by Barbara E. Hunt
Runner-Up: “Grief the Hydra” by Vanessa Evangelista
Honourable Mentions:
“Around-the-Clock Apologies” by Janna-Marie Heslop (Teen)
“portrait of a body in decay” by Jordan Murray (Adult)
“The Stranger” by Nia Chin (Adult)
“First Light” by Janet Grigoratos (Adult)
Each year, the Whitby Library welcomes writers to take a creative leap and share your poetry with our community! Every April, the League of Canadian Poets encourages libraries, schools, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, and communities from across the country to celebrate National Poetry Month.
The Whitby Library Poetry Contest has two entry categories: Grades 7–12 and 18+. The winning poems have are published on our website. Thank you again for your unbridled enthusiasm for our annual poetry contest!
The details to keep in mind for next year!
- One poem submission per person.
- Your submission must be your own original work.
- Please include your name, division (Grades 7-12 or 18+), email, and phone number on your submission.
- Poems will be judged by a panel of staff to determine our winners.
What to remember:
- Your submission can be done online or dropped off in-person to our submission boxes.
- Don’t forget to indicate what category you’re in: Grades 7-12 or the 18-plus category.
- It’s important to include your name, grade or age range, and email address on your submission.
- Keep it real. Make sure it’s your own work.
- Have fun!
- By submitting to the Whitby Public Library’s Poetry Contest, you consent to having your work displayed on the Whitby Public Library’s website. All writers retain the rights to their work, accepted or otherwise. We will not accept any work that is racist, homophobic, misogynistic, ableist, ageist, transphobic, or inflicts harm upon marginalized groups in any way.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send us an email at askreference@whitbylibrary.ca or give us a call at 905 668-6531. We look forward to seeing your submissions!