1st Place
$150
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Prizes
Winners will receive Books & Books gift cards!
2nd Place
$100
3rd Place
$50
Who Can Participate?
Contest is open to teens ages 13–18 years old.
Must have a Miami-Dade Public Library System library card.
Need a library card? Click here to sign up online.
Contest Guidelines
1
Write a sonnet about freedom in celebration of Miami, the United States, or both.
2
Entries must be typed on an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper and submitted as a PDF on this webpage. Submission period begins on September 14, 2026.
3
Entries must be celebratory in tone and may not contain profanity or other offensive language.
4
Entries must be 14 lines.
5
Sonnets may be traditional or nontraditional in form; no specific rhyme scheme is required.
6
Poems must be your original work, previously unpublished, and written and edited without the use of AI (artificial intelligence).
7
Entries must be submitted by midnight on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
8
Winners will be notified by Saturday, November 14, 2026.
9
All entries become the property of the Miami-Dade Public Library System.
10
Employees of the Miami-Dade Public Library System and their families are not eligible to participate.
Judging
Poems will be judged on originality, artistic quality and relevance by the current and former Miami-Dade County Poet Laureates:
-
Nicole Tallman Miami-Dade County Poet Laureate -
Caridad Moro-Gronlier Poet Laureate Emerita -
Richard Blanco Poet Laureate Emeritus
Recommended Reading
Explore these titles to learn more about sonnets and find inspiration for your poem.
- American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes
- The American Sonnet: An Anthology of Poems and Essays edited by Dora Malech & Laura T. Smith
- The Penguin Book of the Sonnet: 500 Years of a Classic Tradition in English edited by Phillis Levin
- The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes
- Songs for America edited by Nicole Tallman
- October Sonnet by Adrian Matejka
- The Tradition by Jericho Brown
- Instructions on Not Giving Up by Ada Limón
Featured Events
Online Event
Sonnet Writing Workshop for Teens
Join Miami-Dade County Poet Laureate Nicole Tallman for an engaging sonnet-writing class for teens. Enhance your creative writing skills with guidance from an acclaimed poet and get an edge on your submission for the Poetry Contest for Teens.
Saturday, September 19, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Register online
In-Person Event
Writing a Sonnet In the Age of Insta
Do you follow poets on social media? Join former Miami-Dade County Poet Laureate Caridad Moro-Gronlier to learn how to write a modern sonnet to social media and get an edge on your submission for the Poetry Contest for Teens.
Saturday, October 3, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Westchester Regional Library