BART Teen Poetry Contest
Enter The BART Teen Poetry Contest
Calling all young writers — there's still time to submit an entry to Bart's Poetry Contest. The deadline is Friday, March 8, 2024, at 11:59 PM PT. Submit your poem here.
How to Enter
This year's theme is "Bay is Home" with a word count of 7,500 or less. Winners will receive a cash prize and will be featured in BART's physical story dispensers all across the Bay Area. Applicants must be between age 13 to 19 and live in one of the countries where BART currently operates — San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara.
With only 300 qualifying submissions accepted, it's your time to let your writing shine! Selected finalist poems will be announced on or about April 12, 2024. Finalists will be notified by email.
More About The Theme: “The Bay is Home"
This year's BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest centers on the idea of home. What does that mean to you? A specific location you frequent with family and friends — a sense of community and belonging — the sky's the limit!
There are no genre limitations — all entries must broadly fit within the format of poetry. For any questions, please reach out to BART’s editorial team.
Choosing The Winners
Thirty finalists will hear back from this year's Bart Lines Partners: 826 Valencia and Youth Speaks. Finalists will win a $75 Amazon Gift Card and their poems will be published in select BART Short Édition Story Dispensers and BART Story Discs. Finalist poems will also feature on the BART Short Edition website.
In addition, a special group of poets will be invited to a series of readings in regions around BART stations. Availability for live readings is not a consideration to enter the contest.
About The Contest Sponsors, Judges, and Partners
826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.
Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs that was founded in San Francisco in 1996. Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs. Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, and more, Youth Speaks offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs and provides numerous opportunities for youth to be published and heard.
