The 2025 Anne Bradstreet Poetry Contest

The North Andover Poet Laureate Committee is proud to announce

The 5th Annual

Anne Bradstreet Poetry Contest

2025 Theme:

Growing Our Community:  Planting Seeds of Poetry

We’ve expanded the contest this year –

In addition to North Andover, we’re also inviting Andover to take part!

This year’s contest is open to all who live, work or go to school

in North Andover or Andover

Anne Andover / North Andover is the home of America's first published poet, Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)

• Anne arrived here at the very founding of the town in the early 1640's with her husband and their young children. 
• She made her life in the frontier settlement.  She made her mark in the world of poetry right here. 
• Her first collection, "The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America", was published in 1650 and was widely read in America and England.
• This was an uncommon achievement for a woman in the post-Elizabethan English world. 
• Anne lived and raised her family - and wrote her poetry - right here. 
• She wrote about history, kings and queens, and philosophy - she wrote about her God, her husband, her family, and her home.
• Anne is an inspiration to all of us on the Poet Laureate Committee, and why we named the contest after her.

The contest is now open and is accepting submissions until April 1

• Feb 15         Contest Opens
• Apr 1         Final date to submit poems
• Apr 17          Winners and finalists announced 
• May 3           Award ceremony on the North Andover Common. Winners and finalists will read their poems. (May 10 rain date) 

The contest theme prompt (teacher’s guide) is attached. It gives theme ideas to poets, parents and teachers in 3 age groups: young elementary, middle school, and high school/adult. 

You can find everything on the contest website, including more history about Anne: www.annebradstreetpoetrycontest.com 

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

• Open to all who either live, work or go to school in North Andover or Andover
• Submissions are accepted in 5 age categories:
  • Grades K-2
  • Grades 3-5
  • Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Adult
• This year’s theme is: Growing Our Community: Planting Seeds of Poetry
• The poems can be in any style. They can be rhyming or free verse.
• Write a poem however the theme inspires you. Be creative!
• See our contest theme prompt on the contest website for more ideas.
• The poem should be newly written for this year’s contest and not have been submitted elsewhere.
• The winner and finalists in each category will be invited to perform their poems on the North Andover Common at the awards celebration in May.
• By submitting a poem, the author / parent / guardian gives the North Andover Poet Laureate Committee the right to publish the poems online, and in a collected book of poems for the event.
• Parents/guardians of school age children have the right to approve what identifying  information for school age children is published: 1) the name, school, and grade, 2) initials, school and grade, or 3) only school and grade is published.
• The poem copyright remains with the author. 

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR POEM

Go to www.annebradstreetpoetrycontest.com and use the Submit button and fill in the form

Questions? Email to annebradstreetpoetrycontest@gmail.com 

The contest and poetry celebration is sponsored by the

North Andover Poet Laureate Committee

Karen M. Kline (Chair)

Christa Lamb, Signe Spencer, Graham Jackson, Mark Bohrer, Dan Speers (Committee) 

You can find videos of past year’s Contest Awards Celebration on North Andover CAM’s YouTube page: 

Anne Bradstreet Poetry Contest Awards Celebration 2021 (NA CAM)

Anne Bradstreet - Poetry Contest 2023 (NA CAM)

Anne Bradstreet Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony - 06.01.2024 (NA CAM)