Our 3rd Annual "From Trash to Treasure" Kidlit Poetry Contest!
- Little Thoughts Press
- Nov 10
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 13
It's time again for our annual
From Trash to Treasure Kidlit Poetry Contest!
November 13th - 15th
This year, we are excited to welcome as a special guest judge
2024's From Trash to Treasure winner, Tracie Renee!
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 and writers of all ages—any and all kidlit creatives are welcome to enter!
When: The contest submission period is from November 13th - 15th. A winner, two honorable mentions and a kid's choice winner (selected by our EIC's 8-year-old) will be announced here, on the Little Thoughts Press blog, and on our social media sites on Tuesday, November 18th! Selected poems will be featured on the blog and the winner will receive a free copy of their choice of one our magazine issues. Short list will be selected by Little Thoughts Press editor, Claire, and guest judge, Tracie Renee! Tracie will choose our 1st place finisher!
How to enter: Post your entry as a comment on this post anytime between November 13th and November 15th. Comments will be closed on this post except for during the contest window. Please include your name in your comment!
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 #trashtotreasure25 on your socials! We can't wait to see how you turn your trash into shiny new treasures!
I came to this poem for its delightfully tangible imagery, then stayed for the sense of serene splendor. Kudos!
NANA’S SHELLS
Every bright sun morning,
Nana and I watch seashells wash
onto the beach. The water rolls them
and spins them back again, tumbling
until they become tiny grains of sand.
Part of the first line was cut from a picture book that wasn't about seashells, but now it wants to be!
Superhero - by Kristin Giuliani
I wish I was a sound
A superhero flying invisibly around
Sneaky, like a chirp
Or massive, like a BURP
Then kablooey!
I’d pound
My spelling test
Into the ground
Muzzle Puzzle
The horse is powerful, limber and quick,
a talented, flexible beast, I suppose,
possessing amazing abilites —yet...
A horse is unable to blow its own nose!
UNDER THE VAST DESERT SKY
She could hear the stars singing.
The world was too loud,
but here, where cacti stood sentry and
iguanas creeped, the sky wrapped her
in its quiet lullaby, and she slept.
This line came from a draft of a picture book about a ladybug who loves the music of the forest. I loved it, but the book was way too long and it took a slightly different direction. So, bye-bye, darling! I enjoyed putting it into an entirely different context for this. Thank you for the great exercise and the opportunity!