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From Trash to Treasure Kidlit Poetry Contest!

  • Writer: Little Thoughts Press
    Little Thoughts Press
  • Jul 25, 2023
  • 2 min read


Little Thoughts Press and the Revision Raccoon are excited to announce the

1st Annual “From Trash to Treasure” Kidlit Poetry Contest!


drawing of a cartoon raccoon against a starry sky
artwork by Little Thoughts Press cover artist, Rachael Harbert

Rather than throw out our darlings, what if we remade them? Take a discarded darling and make something new! Send us a lyrical haiku, funny limerick, inspiring quintains, creative free verse, or whatever your imagination dreams up.


What: Take a discarded-but-loved line from one of your kidlit pieces and use it as a starting point for a poem. Be it fiction or nonfiction, funny or a little dark, quirky or inspirational – whatever direction you go, the work should be appropriate for kids 12 and younger. LGTBQT+ and diverse themes are welcome. The first line of your new poem must be a line that you previously cut from a different piece. We're working on the honor system here! Please do not submit a poem that doesn't include a previously discarded line.


Who: Agented, pre-agented, published, pre-published, kids of all ages— any and all kidlit creatives are welcome to enter!


When: The contest submission period is from August 1st - 4th. A winner and two honorable mentions will be announced here, on the Little Thoughts Press blog, and on Twitter @ltpmag on Friday, August 11th! Selected poems will be featured on the blog and winners will receive a free copy of their choice of one of our past issues. Winning entries will be selected by Little Thoughts Press editors, Claire and Carrie.


How to enter: Post your entry as a comment on this post anytime between midnight (EDT) on August 1st and 11:59 pm (EDT) on August 4th. Entries posted outside of this window will not be considered.


Details: There is no word limit, BUT there is a maximum length of five lines per piece. 1 entry per kidlit creator. Feel free to include a sentence or two about the reason this is a “darling” and the inspiration behind the reimagining of it.


Grab your copy of our Revision Raccoon participant badge and help spread the word by sharing #trashtotreasure on your socials! We can't wait to see how you turn your trash into shiny new treasures!

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