Closed until 2012.
Poetry Reading for Winners (Honorable Mentions also invited), their family, friends and teachers on Sunday, September 25 at the Arvada Covenant Church, 5555 Ward Road, Arvada, CO 80002 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Winners will receive bus placards with their poems on them.
Refreshments will be served.

Something important  happens every time a young writer creates a poem for the contest and visualizes what it would belike to have one’s thoughts seen by the public on buses.

  • RTD riders who read poems on buses will see teenagers in a positive light.
  • For riders, Poetry to Go is also a glint of sunshine in their daily routine.

Poetry to Go is an annual contest for teens thirteen through nineteen in the seven-county Denver Metro area serviced by RTD.

  • Winning poems are displayed inside RTD buses throughout the RTD service area for three months.
  • There are no fees to enter and no cash prizes awarded to winners.
  • Judges choose the most skilled and creative poems while considering appeal for viewing on buses.

Poetry to Go began in 2000 as a project to showcase the dignity and creativity of teenagers.

  • Placards appear on 800 buses.
  • About 350 entries are received each year.
  • The contest honors 32 winning poems yearly and has featured 297 winners total.
  • Each winner receives an actual 11” x 28” bus placard featuring his/her poem in addition to a copy of Poetry to Go, featuring winning poems for 2011.
  • Poetry to Go was founded by the Denver Branch of the National League of American Pen Women and is now a project of the Poetry Society of Colorado.

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked or submitted online by Saturday, March 12, 2011. Your copy will not be returned.

Eligibility: Open to all teens (13-19) in the seven-county Denver Metro Area.

Theme: Write about friends, community, nature—anything that makes you happy.

Length: Maximum of 10 lines. Please provide a title (not counted in the 10 lines.)

Style: Poems may be in any style, rhyming or unrhymed.

Fees: There are no fees to enter and no cash prizes awarded to winners.

Entries: Enter one poem only. Put your name, home address (with city and zip code), phone number, e-mail address, name of school, and your age on the top left side of the page. Entries may be typewritten or legibly handwritten.

Originality: Below your poem, write the following statement: “The poem above is my own, original, creative work.” Sign in ink if you are submitting by U.S. mail.

Judging: The entries will be judged by members of PSC, choosing the most creative, well-crafted poems while considering their appeal for viewing on buses.

Winners: At least 20 poems will be selected to display on RTD buses during 2011. Rights remain with the individual authors. Winners will be notified no later than May 10, 2011.

Buy Our Book: Poetry to Go features winners from our contest each year. It is available at Full Moon Books, 6th & Garrison, Lakewood, 303-233-6666, The Tattered Cover (three locations) and Clear Creek Books, 12th & Washington, Golden, 303-278-4593.

For Contest Results: Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your entry, or after May 15, 2011, ask at poetrytogodenver@aol.com or go to this website: poetrysocietyofcolorado.

E-mail your entry to laurelbecker@ymail.com.