SciFest Poetry Jam: 2023

Dates and Deadlines

Submission deadline: February 24, 2023

Finalists are notified: March 17, 2023

Award ceremony: March 24, 2023

Flier

Download the flier (PDF).

Questions?

scifest@randolphcollege.edu

Randolph College invites all K-12 students in Lynchburg and surrounding counties to submit science- or math-based poems. Three top prizes ($100, $50, and $25 gift cards) will be awarded to the three top poems in each grade group. If the winning poem is completed as a class assignment by more than 9 students in a class, the teacher will receive the same prize as the student. Finalists will be invited to read their poems at a catered reception during SciFest weekend, and the top 52 poems will be published in a book available free to all finalists.

Eligibility

All K-12 students are invited to submit a poem to the Randolph College SciFest Poetry Jam competition. Students or teachers may make submissions. We encourage teachers to have their entire class write poems and submit them to the competition.

Requirements

The poem must have a theme focused on a science or math topic. Any poetry genre may be used, e.g. Haiku, limerick, free form, etc. Poems may be illustrated but only the text will be judged. Poems may be hand written or typed. All poems must be the original work of the student. Only one poem per student.

Submission Process

Submissions for 2023 are currently being accepted!
All submissions should include:

  • Author’s first and last name, grade, school, and t-shirt size
  • An email address for a contact for the entry (author, teacher, or guardian – preferably all three). If we do not have a valid e-mail address, we may not be able to notify you of receipt or of finalists.
  • If the poem was completed in class, be sure to include the teacher and school principal names, and email addresses.
  • Poem title

Electronic Submission Options

Electronic submissions are preferred and are due by midnight on Friday, February 24, 2023.

Mail

You may also submit your poem by mail. Please note that your entry must be postmarked by Friday, February 24, 2023. Mail to:

Randolph College Science Festival
Randolph College
2500 Rivermont Avenue
Lynchburg, VA 24503

Judging

A panel of college judges will select finalists (52 poems: 13 from each grade range). Certificates will be awarded to each finalist, and all will be published in a book provided to all finalists. From the 52 poetry finalists, three top prizes ($100, $50, $25) will be awarded in four grade range categories: primary, elementary, middle school, and high school. Teachers will receive the same prize if the poem was done in their class which has more than 9 submissions.

Award Ceremony

2023 finalists will be announced here and on the I Love Randolph Science Facebook page by 5 p.m., Friday, March 17, 2023.

Finalists will be invited to read their poems at the SciFest Poetry Reading and Awards Ceremony, held at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 24, 2023. Parents and teachers will receive an invitation to the ceremony. All submitters, family, friends, and community members are welcome to join us for this happy event!

Poetry Books and Finalists

Finalists’ contributions can be found in the following books: