Montgomery County Poets Laureate
The Annual Montgomery Poet Laureate Competition is the foundation upon which the MCPL Program was built. The competition is the ultimate expression of the program’s mission; creating an ever expanding community of poets, supporting their work and providing opportunities for poets to elevate their visibility while also benefiting the community with their service project, many of which continue long beyond their tenure.
How does the competition work?
Each year MCPL recruits a celebrity poet with a national reputation, who along with two additional local Delaware Valley poets, adjudicate the submitted manuscripts.
The newly selected Montgomery County Poet Laureate is honored with an award in the amount of $500 along with a personalized statement about their work, which is shared through MCPL and other local organizations.
The Award is presented during an Award Ceremony and Reading, open to the public and attended by the celebrity judge and previous poets laureate to read with and welcome the newest member of their esteemed ranks.
Who can compete?
Poets of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to submit their poetry for review and adjudication in the annual competition. Poets must also be residents of Montgomery County. The window for submissions generally opens in early December and closes mid-February with the winner to be announced at the end of March.
The role of the Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureate functions as an ambassador for poetry in Montgomery County from April 1 of the year of his/her naming to March 31st of the following year. This role includes working with MCPL’s Executive Director, Joanne Leva, to develop a schedule of readings, workshops
Appearances may include the Forgotten Voices Poetry Group, Farley’s Bookshop First Thursday Poetry Reading Series, and the annual Caesura Poetry Festival. They may also hold the office of “
MCYPL to receive Taco Bell Foundation Seed Prize
The Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate Program is honored and proud to be one of 250 recipients of the 2024 Taco Bell Foundation’s Ambition Accelerator Prize! With this award comes a $500 grant and MYCPL will move on to the next round of judging. The 75 semifinalists will receive $1,000 and have the opportunity to attend the Ambition Accelerator Summit in Irvine, CA where young innovators and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to network and learn more about getting their ideas in motion.
This is a very exciting award and opportunity for MCYPL! We will use the grant funding to move forward with initiatives and goals to improve and support the program for our young poets. We will continue fueling and accelerating our young writers’ most ambitious social impact ideas. Together, we are moving towards a world where every young person is a changemaker.
Read more here.
Announcement of the 2024 MCYPL Finalists
On March 25th, the five finalists for the 2024 Montgomery County Youth Poet Laureate were announced! Congratulations to Emi Maeda of The Baldwin School, Maya Brothers of Friends’ Central School, Samrithaa H.V. of Methacton Senior High School, Sofia Bagarazzi of Friends’ Central School, and Sophia Hall of the University of Pennsylvania on this outstanding accomplishment.
Poets Laureate
