Applications Due February 1, 2027
Named for Amanda Gorman, the youngest presidential inaugural poet in American history and a Beyond Baroque alumna, the Amanda Gorman Future Voices Poetry Prize supports student poets of color in the development of their voices and artistic practice. As a teenager, Gorman began her growth as a poet in Beyond Baroque’s Student Poets’ Program, and later credited Beyond Baroque as the place “where a young poet found the love of her life.”
Details
The poetry contest is open to 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade poets of color currently enrolled in a California school. Students must identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color to qualify for the Future Voices Poetry Prize. Winners will be required to read their poems at a live or virtual event celebrating the winners. All winning poets will receive a certificate and cash prize according to amounts specific to their categories, listed below. Three poets in total will receive cash prizes. Poetry contest winners will be announced by April 30, 2027. Past winners of the prize are not eligible to apply.
Poetry Contest for 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th Grade Poets - Prizes
1st place—$500
2nd place—$250
3rd place—$100
Honorable mention
Application Requirements
All applications must be submitted by the February 1, 2027 deadline.
Poems must be submitted as a Word document attachment, 12 point font, Times New Roman or Arial.
Entrants may submit between 1-3 poems, 1 page per poem and poems must be 35 lines or less.
All entries must be in English, single-spaced, typed, unpublished, original, and not scheduled for publication before April 30, 2027.
All entries not in compliance with category specifications will be disqualified.