RP High School Poetry Prize

The Rockland Poets High School Poetry Prize is an annual prize awarded to poets attending high school in Rockland County, NY. The top prize amount for 2025 is $250.

Any students that attend high schools in Rockland County NY are eligible to apply. Applicants submit two original poems and a brief personal statement about their relationship to poetry. They may also optionally include a list of dates/locations that they've read their work in public. Limit one entry per person per year.

Applications are due at midnight on April 30th. Winners are notified sometime in May. Winners will be invited to our June poetry slam to read their poetry and receive a check for $100 to $250 (depending on the number of awardees) at the very beginning of the event. 

Note that our poetry slams are open to all ages but are uncensored -- it's possible that you may hear strong/adult language or themes from other poets at the event. If this makes you or your family uncomfortable, it's completely okay to leave immediately after reading your poetry and receiving your prize money. 

Application link

Past winners:

2024 - A.A.L., Clarkstown South Senior High School

something about/sour cherries

she smells sweet

her toxins amidst

my brain

clouds

the anticipation of sweetness

my tongue

burns with the

blood red gush

rips to yellow teeth

bitter sour billowing

my taste buds

repulsed by

something that

no amount of

teeth-brushing

listerine gargling

the taste

of her the taste

will stay

no matter

how much i beg

i plea

for it to

go

2023 - K. Saint-Cyr, North Rockland High School

Son of  Mother Nature

His hair waved like the ocean

And his eyes were deeper, darker than space

His pimples and zits were the constellations over that night sky

Wind would gently blow out of his mouth when he whispers

Nature fights back and so did he

Though I am glad I did not decompose before I left his forest

Jaela

I never knew that I liked drag that much 

But when we were sitting in that circle

When Jaela danced over and touched my hand

I didn't clap that much right after that

Because I began to cry

This stranger had so much love for the art

And for our little queer world

A world everyone in the room could rule together

Birchwood School

Clarkstown North Senior High School

Clarkstown South Senior High School

Nanuet Senior High School

North Rockland High School

Nyack Senior High School

Pearl River High School

Ramapo High School

Spring Valley High School

Suffern Senior High School

Tappan Zee High School