Welcome to the 27th Anniversary of the Carl Sandburg Student Poetry Contest!
2025 Theme: Freedom
Freedom is a Habit by Carl Sandburg
Freedom is a habit
and a coat worn
some born to wear it
some never to know it.
Freedom is cheap
or again as a garment
is so costly
men pay their lives
rather than not have it.
Freedom is baffling:
men having it often
know not they have it
till it is gone and
they no longer have it.
What does this mean?
Is it a riddle? The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg, 1950
Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!
Contest Rules
Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 3, 2025. See below for submission rules.
Winners will be notified by April 7, 2025, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 27.
Poetry accepted from 3-12th grades only. Poems will be grouped for judging by 3-5th, 6-8th, and 9-12th.
Poems must be submitted by a teacher (traditional classroom or homeschool teacher).
No more than three poems per class. Teachers with multiple classes, can submit up to three poems per class period.
Poem will be judged on its ability to communicate the theme.
Poem can be written in any style but must not exceed one-page in length. No illustrations.
Poems must be typed, no handwritten entries, using standard computer fonts, like Times, Arial, etc...
After completing and submitting this form, the poem should be emailed to carl_education@nps.gov.
Poem should be submitted as one file as a .pdf only
There are several free apps to turn a phone pic into a .pdf if you don't have a scanner available.
File name should be StudentLastName_PoemName.pdf
Do not place any identifying information (name, school, grade, etc...) on poem sheet. The file name will be used to match with this form submission.
Judges from the literary community will make the decision for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place within each grade category (3-5th, 6-8th, 9-12th).
Poetry Partners
The 2025 Poetry Contest is a result of tremendous community support including the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, and literary volunteers who serve as judges. Thank you!
Carl Sandburg captured the voice of America through speaking for "The People". His free verse style of poetry, journalism, biography, children's stories, prose writing, and social activism provided a popular voice for the American people. As the child of Swedish immigrants, he was inspired by the idea that this country valued freedom for all to live, work, play and worship as they choose. This year's theme of "Freedom" asks you to think about what Freedom means to you!
Poems submitted for the 2025 contest should reflect the theme of "Freedom." By definition: "the power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity." Note: Poems do not need to be titled "Freedom" they just need to reflect that idea in a poem.
