Poetry is a great way for moody teens to vent their feelings in public.
As a method of self-expression and an avenue for healthy competition, few art forms are growing as quickly in popularity among teens as competitive poetry. Youth poetry slams are springing up all over the United States, even appearing on HBO and in nationally-released documentary films. Although Utah does not yet have an official youth poetry slam, there are many other poetic competitions aimed at teens throughout the state.
Junior Creative Poetry Contest
Open to students enrolled anywhere between first and 12th grade, the Utah State Poetry Society's annual Junior Creative Poetry Society is Utah's largest youth-oriented poetry contest. The contest's administration is assisted by the Utah Arts Council and affiliated with the Salt Lake Tribune. Contest winners are honored at the annual Junior Creative Awards festival, and some of the winners from grades six through 12 are subsequently entered in the national Manningham State Poetry Contest.
Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that seeks to educate teens about great poetry and performance technique. As an extracurricular, it appears in many Utah high schools in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Council and the Utah Arts Council Literature program. Students compete by performing memorized versions of poems by such luminaries as Langston Hughes, Billy Collins and Anne Sexton. A panel of judges decides the winner. School champions go on to compete regionally, and regional champions go onto a statewide competition. Each state's champion then competes at a national level against all the other state champions.
Sevier Valley Roundup
On the less formal end of things, the annual Sevier Valley Roundup hosts a youth cowboy poetry contest. Like the Junior Creative Poetry Contest, the Roundup's competition is open to children as well as teens -- the only rule is that the entrant must be under 18 years of age. The poetry contest is held every August at the Sevier County Fairgrounds in Richfield, Utah, along with the other Roundup day events, .
Other Poetry Contests
In addition to the Junior Creative Poetry Contest, the Utah State Poetry Society sponsors many other annual poetry contests. Although most are aimed at Utah State Poetry Society members, some are open to non-members and teens as well. These include the Dale E. Cutting Social and Political Issues poetry contest, the James A. and Bertie Mae Ogden Memorial poetry contest, the theme of which is "a place in Utah," and the David F. and Robert Balph Memorial poetry contest, which has a "wild animal" theme.
