Century Fence Middle & High School Student Poetry Contest
This contest was open to all middle school and high school students in Waukesha County. Students submitted an original poem based on the theme listed below. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners were chosen. Click on the winners below to read their poem (opens in a new window).
Theme: OPENING DOORS
Reading books opens doors to experiences, understandings, feelings, and ideas. Writing a poem is a great way to capture some of the feelings books awaken in us. Write a poem that expresses what feelings you experienced when you read one particular book.
1st Place Poetry
Catherine Grey
Menomonee Falls High School -11th Grade
2nd Place-Poetry
Serena Suson
Brookfield Academy-11th Grade
3rd Place-Poetry
Camille Bertrand
Nature Hill Intermediate-7th Grade
Prizes:
- 1st place – $250
- 2nd place – $175
- 3rd place – $75
Official presentation of the awards will be made at the Southeast WI Festival of Books during the Authors Reception at 5:30pm on Friday, November 1, 2019. Winners must be able to appear at the Writing Contest Awards Celebration to accept their awards. In addition, the first place winner must be available to read their poem.
Poetry Types
Here are some kinds of poems:
A limerick. This five-line form conveys humor.
A cinquain. A cinquain is a five-line poem. The first line has 2 syllables, the second line has 4 syllables, the third line has 6 syllables, the fourth line has 8 syllables, and the fifth line has 2 syllables.
An acrostic. An acrostic is a poem in which taken together the first letters in each line spell a word when you read them vertically down the page. You could use a word from the title of your book as the word. For example, if you write about To Kill a Mockingbird, you could use “bird” as your vertical word, something like this
Best book about growing up with a courageous father I ever read.
I felt I was Scout learning from his example
Refusing to let Tom Robinson go to trial without a lawyer
Despite knowing how the jury wouldn’t let him win.
A poem with rhyme. The rhyme can be at the ends of lines, at the ends of alternating lines, or in some other pattern you invent for your poem.
A free verse poem, one that doesn’t rhyme but uses other poetic tools: similes, metaphors, repeated consonant or vowel sounds, understatement or hyperbole, to name just a few.
The contest is now closed. Thank you for your interest!