The Miami-Dade Public Library System opened submissions on September 14 for a Poetry Contest for Teens that asks young writers between 13 and 18 years old to compose a sonnet about freedom inspired by Miami, the United States, or both. Sponsored by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office and the library system, the contest runs through October 17 as part of TeenTober, the library’s annual month of programming for young people. All three of Miami-Dade County’s Poet Laureates are involved in the initiative, with 2026 Poet Laureate Nicole Tallman leading workshops and joining her two predecessors as judges for the submitted work.
Key Takeaways
- The Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Poetry Contest for Teens is open to Miami-Dade County residents ages 13 to 18 with a valid library card, with submissions accepted from September 14 through October 17.
- Contestants are asked to write a sonnet about freedom inspired by Miami, the United States, or both, timed to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
- Miami-Dade County Poet Laureate Nicole Tallman (2026), Richard Blanco (2024–2025), and Caridad Moro-Gronlier (2025) are all serving as judges for the contest.
- Supporting workshops include a virtual Sonnet Writing Workshop led by Tallman on September 19, an in-person Community Poetry Workshop for Teens led by Oscar “The Biscayne Poet” Fuentes on October 2, and an “In the Insta Age” session led by Moro-Gronlier on October 3.
- Winners will be announced November 14 and will receive a Books and Books gift card.
Three Poet Laureates Unite to Judge Teen Submissions
The contest carries an unusual distinction in that all three of Miami-Dade County’s Poet Laureates are directly involved. Nicole Tallman, who serves as the 2026 Poet Laureate and also holds the role of senior advisor to Mayor Levine Cava, is leading the initiative and hosted a virtual Sonnet Writing Workshop for teens on September 19. Tallman described the workshop as a way to give young writers an edge on their contest submissions while building comfort with the sonnet form.
Richard Blanco, who served as Miami-Dade’s inaugural Poet Laureate from 2024 to 2025 and is recognized nationally for composing and delivering “One Today” at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013, joins the judging panel. Caridad Moro-Gronlier, a Cuban-American poet and educator who succeeded Blanco as the county’s second Poet Laureate in 2025 and serves as Associate Editor for SWWIM Every Day, an online poetry journal for women poets, rounds out the trio of judges.
The three laureates were featured together in a screening of “Poetry City,” a documentary shown at the Westchester Regional Library on September 18, followed by a Q&A with poet Oscar “The Biscayne Poet” Fuentes and Tallman. The screening served as a public launch event for the contest and connected the teen programming to the broader narrative of Miami’s growing literary community.
The Sonnet as a Gateway for Young Writers
The choice of the sonnet form is deliberate. At 14 lines, the structure is compact enough to feel approachable for a teenager who may not identify as a poet, but disciplined enough to require attention to rhythm, language, and argument. Tallman has framed the format as an entry point rather than a barrier. “I just need you to write 14 lines,” Tallman said. “We can figure out how to edit it from there. I feel like anybody can write 14 lines. If you can’t, then you can collaborate.”
The contest’s thematic prompt ties to the national observance of America’s 250th anniversary, asking young writers to engage with the concept of freedom through a local or national lens. For a county where more than 70 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home and where immigrant communities from Latin America, the Caribbean, Haiti, and beyond have shaped the cultural fabric for generations, the prompt opens a wide range of interpretive possibilities. A sonnet about freedom written by a teenager in Hialeah will read differently from one composed in Coconut Grove or Overtown, and that range is part of the contest’s design.
The workshop programming supports that breadth. Moro-Gronlier’s “Sonnet Writing Workshop in the Insta Age,” scheduled for October 3 at the Westchester Regional Library, meets young writers where they already spend time — on social media — and explores how the sonnet form can function as a shareable digital artifact. Fuentes’s in-person workshop at the North Dade Regional Library on October 2 takes a more community-oriented approach, building creative confidence through group exercises and live interaction.
Libraries as Cultural Infrastructure for Miami’s Teens
The Poetry Contest for Teens originated from a suggestion by staff at the Miami-Dade Public Library’s Main Library, who proposed incorporating a creative writing competition into TeenTober, the library system’s annual October programming cycle for young people. The idea reflects a broader pattern across Miami-Dade’s public institutions, where libraries, museums, and performing arts venues have expanded their youth-facing programming in recent years, positioning themselves as active participants in the county’s cultural development rather than passive repositories of books and media.
The library system’s role in this expansion is significant. Miami-Dade Public Library operates 50 locations across the county, and its teen programming reaches neighborhoods where access to private arts education, writing workshops, or literary events may be limited. The poetry contest requires only a library card and a willingness to write 14 lines — no enrollment fee, no prior publication history, no application portfolio. For a county where the median household income varies widely across zip codes, that accessibility matters.
The initiative aligns with a broader push across Miami’s institutional landscape, where cultural institutions from the Adrienne Arsht Center to the Pérez Art Museum Miami have expanded educational programming alongside their public-facing exhibitions and performances, generating both economic activity and community engagement in neighborhoods across the metro area.
Jesenia Lopez, who helped coordinate the contest’s development at the library, said the programming reflects the library system’s understanding of its role in the lives of young people. “Libraries are very important for teens; they are a safe space for them where they can hang out together,” Lopez said. The poetry contest extends that safe-space function into creative expression, offering a platform where the stakes are low but the opportunity for recognition is real.
A Growing Pipeline for Miami’s Literary Talent
The contest arrives at a moment when Miami’s literary ecosystem is deeper than at any previous point in the county’s history. The creation of the Poet Laureate position itself is recent — Richard Blanco was named the county’s first laureate in 2024 — and the fact that three laureates are now collaborating on a youth-facing initiative signals a maturation of the role beyond ceremonial duties into active community building.
Miami Dade College’s annual Miami Book Fair, the national visibility of writers like Blanco and Edwidge Danticat, the growth of independent bookstores like Books and Books across the metro area, and the expansion of MFA programs at the University of Miami and Florida International University have all contributed to a literary infrastructure that didn’t exist at this scale a generation ago. The Teen Poetry Contest plugs into that infrastructure at the ground level, offering 13-year-olds in Miami-Dade a public entry point to a creative community that now includes nationally recognized poets, active literary journals, and institutional support from the county government.
Winners will be announced on November 14 and will receive a Books and Books gift card. Contestants must hold a valid Miami-Dade Public Library System card. Residents who do not currently have a library card can sign up for a digital E-card at ecard.mdpls.org. Full contest details and workshop registration are available through the Miami-Dade Public Library System website at mdpls.org.
FAQs
Who Can Enter the Miami-Dade Public Library Teen Poetry Contest?
The contest is open to Miami-Dade County residents between 13 and 18 years old who hold a valid Miami-Dade Public Library System card. Residents without a card can register for a free digital E-card at ecard.mdpls.org to become eligible.
What Is the Submission Format for the Contest?
Contestants are asked to write a sonnet — a 14-line poem — about freedom inspired by Miami, the United States, or both. The prompt is tied to America’s 250th anniversary and the library’s annual TeenTober programming. Submissions are accepted from September 14 through October 17, 2026.
Who Is Judging the Teen Poetry Contest?
All three of Miami-Dade County’s Poet Laureates are serving as judges: Nicole Tallman (2026), Richard Blanco (2024–2025), and Caridad Moro-Gronlier (2025). Blanco is nationally recognized for composing and reciting “One Today” at President Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. Winners will be announced on November 14.
Are There Workshops Available to Help Teens Prepare?
The library system is offering three supporting workshops: a virtual Sonnet Writing Workshop led by Nicole Tallman on September 19, a Community Poetry Workshop for Teens led by Oscar “The Biscayne Poet” Fuentes on October 2 at the North Dade Regional Library, and “Sonnet Writing in the Insta Age” led by Caridad Moro-Gronlier on October 3 at the Westchester Regional Library. Registration is required for all workshops.
