Pet Poetry Contest for 4-18 Year-Olds

Array ( [article_id] => 21941 [company_id] => 1 [user_id] => 0 [article_type_id] => 58 [article_seo_url] => pet-poetry [details] => Array ( [Title] => Pet Poetry [Description] => Animal-themed poetry contest for 4-18 year-olds. [Subheading] => [Age] => All [Intro] =>

Pet Poetry invites young poets aged 4-18 to celebrate their love for animals, whether furry, feathery or scaly! Writing a poem is a fun and creative way to express a passion for creatures big and small.

🐾 Write an animal alphabet poem or acrostic

🐾 Riddle me this - guess the animal with a clue on each line

🐾 Write about a funny moment with your pet

🐾 Imagine the world through an animal's eyes

🐾 Explore dinosaurs, mythical creatures, or even an entirely made-up pet

🐾 Write about an endangered species or wildlife conservation

Poems can be written or typed and be in any poetic style, allowing students to write in a style that works for them.

All poems have the opportunity to be published in a special Pet Poetry book. Plus, our favorite poet will win a $50 Amazon voucher!

Download the entry form now (alternatively poems can be typed in Word or Google Docs) and as soon as they're ready, email, post or upload work to us - see the How To Enter tab for more details.

[Rules] =>

Only one entry per child. Schools can enter as many entries as they like.
Open to both schools & independent entrants.
Open for 4-18 year-olds
Poems can be typed in Word, etc or written on sheet of paper.
The child's name & age must be included with their poem (entries can be submitted with first name or initials if required)
The poem must be the child's own original work.
Poems can be in any poetic form/style.
Free to enter.
US entrants only.
Copyright remains with the poet.

[School Prizes] => Participating schools receive a free copy of the book their students feature in. [Student Prizes] =>

Our favorite poet wins a $50 Amazon gift card.

Every entrant receives a bookmark and those poets who we'd love to publish will also receive a certificate of merit.

Student winners will be chosen from entries received Feb-June 2026.

[Tips] =>
[YouTube] => [Opens] => 2026-02-20 [Closes] => 2026-08-28 [Extended] => 1 [Orion ID] => 744 [RR Ontraport ID] => [DL Ontraport ID] => [Post Class] => Pet Poetry [Orion Teacher Year] => Elem|Middle and High [How to Enter] => [Winners Subheading] => [Winners Intro] =>

[Winner Word] => Student [Schools/Clubs] => Schools [Thumbnail] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1771514482-9735-Pet-Poetry-2026_Page-Icon.jpg [Background] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1771416746-2422-PetPoetry_2025_Background.jpg [Logo] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1771416746-4395-Pet-Poetry_2025-Logo.png [Independent Intro] =>

🐅 Write an animal alphabet poem or acrostic

🐠 Riddle me this - guess the animal with a clue on each line

🐕 Write about a funny moment with your pet

🐢 Imagine the world through an animal's eyes

🦑 Explore dinosaurs, mythical creatures, or even an entirely made-up pet

🐘 Write about an endangered species or wildlife conservation

Poems can be written or typed. Once your child's poem is ready to submit, email, or upload their work to us.

All poems have the opportunity to be published in a special Pet Poetry book. Plus, our favorite poet will win a $50 Amazon voucher!

How To Enter

Email your child's entry along with their name and full address to: [email protected]

Upload their entry at www.youngwritersusa.com/new-uploader

Mail your child's entry along with their name and full address to:

Young Writers Pet Poetry

77 Walnut Street,

Unit 11,

Peabody, MA 01960

Closing Date: August 28, 2026

[Independent Rules] =>

Only one entry per child.
Open to both schools & independent entrants.
Open for 4-18 year-olds
Poems can be typed in Word, etc or written on sheet of paper.
Your child's name, age & full home address must be included with their poem.
The poem must be your child's own original work.
Poems can be in any poetic form/style.
Free to enter.
US entrants only.
Copyright remains with the author.

[Independent Prizes] =>

Our favorite poet wins a $50 Amazon gift card.

Every entrant receives a bookmark and those poets selected for publication also receive a certificate of merit.

Winners will be chosen from entries received Feb-June 2026. Independent entrants are eligible for student prizes.

[Meta Title] => Pet Poetry Contest for 4-18 Year-Olds [Meta Description] => Pet Poetry invites 4-18 year-olds to write a poem in any style on the theme of animals, helping them learn how to write a poem. [Meta Keywords] => poetry contest, poetry, young writers, poetry writing, pet poetry, animal poems, animal poetry, nature [Share Title] => Pet Poetry Contest for 4-18 Year-Olds [Share Description] => Pet Poetry invites 4-18 year-olds to write a poem in any style on the theme of animals, helping them learn how to write a poem. [Layout] => main-comp [Icon] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1783078427-8408-Pet-Poetry-2026_Page-Icon.jpg [Category] => All Ages [Type] => poetry [Country] => USA [Resource Hub Text] =>
[Letters Sent Date] => [Letters Sent Satus] => [Books Published Start Date] => [Books Published End Date] => [Books Published Status] => [Winners Announced Date] => [Winners Announced Status] => [How to Enter Image] => [Video Placeholder] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1783078427-4863-Pet-Poetry-2026_Page-Icon.jpg [School Prize] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1783078607-6773-PetPoetrySchoolPrize.png [Student Prize] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1783078531-4264-2.png [Banner Background] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1771416747-9908-PetPoetry_2025_Background.jpg [Banner Logo] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1771416747-6863-Pet-Poetry_2025-Logo.png [Share Image] => https://bonacia-sites.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/young-writers/ems/competitions/1771417021-531-PetPoetry2025_PageIcon.jpg ) [date_created] => 2026-02-18 12:02:37 [last_updated] => 2026-08-10 14:33:36 [sort_order] => 12 [incoming] => 0 [live] => 1 [archived] => 0 [deleted] => 0 )

This contest is now closed.

If you have late entries, please email us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to accommodate them.

Open contests can be found here.

What happens now?

Our editorial team will read every single entry. Any child whose work they'd love to publish in a book will be sent a letter and certificate. Children whose work hasn't met the contest criteria will have the chance to resubmit their work. Winners will be chosen from published pieces once all the books in the series have been published.

Contest Timeline

Stage	Date	Status
Letters Sent	By No date set	⏳ In Progress
Books Published	No date set - No date set	⏳ Coming Soon
Winners Announced	No date set	⏳ Coming Soon

Please note we aim to keep these dates as accurate as possible but can be subject to change.

For more detailed information about your school's entries, please log in (or create) your teacher account here using the email you included on your teacher entry form.