THE PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL POETRY CONTEST

THE 9th ANNUAL PALM BEACH COUNTY
HIGH SCHOOL POETRY CONTEST (for an original poem by a High School Student)

PRIZES! PUBLICATION! RECOGNITION!
ATTENTION: PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND CHARTER SCHOOLS, GRADES 9-12

THE PALM BEACH POETRY FESTIVAL INVITES YOU TO SEND IN AN ORIGINAL POEM TO ITS 9th ANNUAL PALM BEACH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL POETRY CONTEST.

  • The winner will receive $100 and a pair of tickets to one festival event, and a pair of tickets to the Coffee House Performance event featuring Marty McConnell and Rives.
  • The four runners up will each receive $25 and a pair of tickets to the Coffee House Performance Event.
  • 1-year subscription to Poets and Writers Literary Journal
  • All of the prize-winning poems will be posted on the festival website: www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org and will be included in press releases.
  • Prize winners will be invited to participate in exclusive photo-ops with the Featured Poets for local press releases.

DISTINGUISHED JUDGE: 
Dr. Jeff Morgan, Chairman, Department of English, Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL

ELIGIBILITY:
High School Students, grades 9-12, Palm Beach County Public and Private Schools

RULES:
Poems may be submitted October 10 through December 3, 2012  as follows: 

  1. Submit one poem, 30 lines maximum, single spaced, twelve point type      
  2. Your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, name of high school and grade level must appear in the upper right hand corner of the page.
  3. DEADLINE: Your poem must be e-mailed by December 3, 2012
  4. Send by e-mail to PBPF1@aol.com (copy & paste poem into the body of e-mail, attachments will not be opened).
  5. All contest participants agree to be subjects of press releases and media stories about the contest and the festival.
  6. Winner must be present at Awards Ceremony to read winning poem in order to collect prize.
  7. Your submission is an agreement that you will attend the Festival Awards Ceremony.

Submissions that do not adhere to these rules will be refused. Keep a copy of your poem, as the original will not be returned. Winners and runners up will be notified by January 1st, 2013.

For More Information about the Palm Beach Poetry Festival High School Poetry Contest, contact drblaiseallen@aol.com, or by phone, call (561) 868-2063 and be prepared to leave a message.  Your call will be returned promptly.

Ask your high school principal; English teacher or Poetry Club Leader about the 2012 Palm Beach Poetry Festival High School Poetry Contest.

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2010 HIGH SCHOOL POETRY CONTEST WINNERS
Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 High School Poetry Contest! See the winners below and follow the links to read the winning poems!

First Place:
Debra Marcus, 10th Grade. Wellington High.
Poem: Circus Water

Second Place:
Rachel Katz, 11th Grade. Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
Poem: I've put on my Makeup For You

Third Place:
Adriana Ugarte, 11th Grade, Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
Poem: Autumn

Fourth Place:
Melissa Dubey, 9th Grade, Jupiter High School.
Poem: Changing

Fifth Place:
Benjamin Copan, 11th Grade, Wellington High.
Poem: E.O. Wilson's Ants and the Hofstaderian Brain

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The High School Poetry Contest, open to Palm Beach County public and private high school students, was judged by Dr. Jeff Morgan, of Lynn University’s Department of English.

First Place:
Debra Marcus, 10th Grade. Wellington High.

Circus Water

Last night, I ran away with the circus-men.
They welcomed me with open mouths.
The endogested me.
I was initiated, accepted, hallowed.
Their passivity made me holy.
They brushed celibate, dry water over my shoulders,
implanting splinters,
imparting faith,
and I, the sacrificial worm, returned home
to my lightless life and times.
As I absorbed my parent's faces, dead and sunken with betrayal,
my conscience choked me, constricted me in guilt.
I muted the pots and pangs,
made them subtle, soft, conquered, messianic.
I rowed beside the pond of their fury,
skirting it.
Occasionally, a splash, or an arm, would strike me,
but I was never fully drenched--
my toes tipped into the mirror of the water,
but on the whole, I was dry.
That evening, when the brightness had died
out, I steamed under my sheets and glowed
with bruises.
I remember the circus-men
and their unconditional water.

Second Place:
Rachel Katz, 11th Grade. Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

I've put on my Makeup For You 

Shellacked my lips with blood-red lipstick and
painted my lashes with thick black mascara.
I've tightened my hair into flawless ringlets
of honey golden blonde.
I've put on the dress, silky and sequined,
put on the smile, and false air of contentment.
I've layered perfume over pearls and pretences,
so it lingers when I walk down a hall.
I've pulled on the outfit, the humble acceptance,
because I can't pull off much of anything else.  

Third Place:
Adriana Ugarte, 11th Grade, Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

Autumn

I can feel nostalgia seeping back into my pores,
like a sponge covering me in memories of
those winter days spent by the fountain
pulling pennies off the surface of faded tiles
and predicting each other's fates
with the flip of a coin.

Fourth Place:
Melissa Dubey, 9th Grade, Jupiter High School.

Changing

Sweet gold
falling timid
burnt orange
delicate image

ephemeral green
smoldered crisp
children dancing
jumping in

light hearts
tiny hands
warm thoughts
enchanted land  

Fifth Place:
Benjamin Copan, 11th Grade, Wellington High.

E.O. Wilson's Ants and the Hofstaderian Brain

We run.
Antennae collide.
Familiar scents,
friends with information:
"Picnic. North. Apples. Chocolate..."
Each head bump shouts, "Food!"
We smell wine on their breath;
it aggravates our desire.
Without regard for the humans,
we run.
Friend: Food!
Friend: Food!
An unfamiliar odor;
another,
another.
The euphoric anticipation drains.
"Kill," we cry,
"Eat." "Dismember." "Devour."
We dissect the brain,
neuron by neuron.
We swarm, trample, slaughter,
mind killing mind.
"Enemy," we chant,
"Kill. Enemy. Eat. Enemy."
"Friend. Food. Eat. Friend. Food.
"The bloodlust drains.
We arrive,
each of us collecting,
all searching for food.
We turn.
Secreting chemical thought,
we start racing home,
pheromones declaring triumphantly:
"Food. North. Bread. Crumbs. Coffee. Food."
The colony is an epiphenomenomenon.
Its components: useless.
Its self: conscious, brilliant.
We run,
"Friend. Food. Friend. Foot. Leg. Enemy. Bite. Kill. Eat. Hand."


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