The Academy of American Poets, the nation’s leading champion of poets and poetry, is pleased to announce the Inaugural Poem Project and Contest for Students. Only five poets in American history have been commissioned by Presidents Elect to pen poems to be shared at their Inaugurations. These poems have uplifted millions of viewers of these historic events as they’ve conveyed the country’s challenges, strengths, and hope for its future.
The Academy invites students to study these poets and poems and to try their hand at writing their own Inaugural poems as part of the Inaugural Poem Project, and to submit them to the 2021 Inaugural Poem Contest. Three students’ poems will be selected by a special guest judge to be announced in the coming weeks.
The winning poems will be featured on Poets.org and in American Poets magazine. The first place-winning student will receive $500. The second place-winning student will receive $300; third place will receive $150. Submissions will be accepted online between November 30 and December 30, 2020.