Attention Connecticut high school students (grades 9–12): the 2026 Lynn DeCaro Poetry Contest is now open — and it is free, statewide, and open to all young poets.
Created in memory of Lynn DeCaro, a promising young member of the Connecticut Poetry Society who died of leukemia in 1986, the contest honors her love of poetry by encouraging the next generation of writers to find their voice.
Contest Details
Open to all Connecticut students in grades 9–12
Submit up to three unpublished poems
40-line maximum per poem
Deadline: March 15 at 6:00 p.m.
Enter at ctpoetry.org (click the Poetry Contests tab)
Whether you write about friendship, identity, justice, climate, family, love, or the quiet details of daily life, this contest is an opportunity to be heard.
Why Poetry Matters — Especially in the Age of AI
At a time when artificial intelligence can generate essays, summarize books, and mimic writing styles in seconds, poetry remains one of the most distinctly human art forms.
In fact, the Head of AI Safety at Anthropic recently left to focus on poetry—a powerful reminder that as technology advances, the need for authentic human expression only grows stronger. In his farewell letter, he explained his move from science to poetry by writing, “Science tells us how the world works, but poetry tells us what the world means.” He cited William Stafford’s poem The Way It Is, reflecting on the importance of holding onto a guiding “thread” of meaning amid rapid change.
Poetry sharpens attention. It strengthens emotional intelligence. It teaches precision with language. And it invites young people to wrestle with complexity — something no algorithm can truly experience.
For students interested in journalism, law, public speaking, entrepreneurship, STEM, or the arts, poetry develops the very skills that future leaders need:
Clarity of thought
Empathy
Originality
Voice
A Call to Carver & Norwalk Students
For students in Norwalk and across Connecticut, this is a chance to pause, reflect, and create something uniquely your own.
In a world increasingly shaped by automation, the ability to say something true — in your own words — is a competitive advantage.
We encourage all high school students to consider submitting. Three poems. Forty lines each. One opportunity to be heard.
Deadline: March 15 by 6 p.m.
Let your voice matter.