You crazy poets you. Their coming for our teens.

Miami-Dade County teens will have an opportunity to put their ideas into verse this fall through a new county-wide poetry contest presented in partnership with the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office and the Miami-Dade County Public Library System.

Open to teens ages 13 to 18, the Teen Poetry Contest runs from September 14 through October 10, 2026, and asks young writers to tackle one of humanity’s oldest and most complicated subjects.

Freedom, baby, freedom.

On a scale of 1 to America, how free are you for this contest, Miami??

Participants will write a 14-line sonnet exploring questions.

What does freedom mean to you and your family? Where does freedom come from? And how can we make freedom broader for everyone?

Those are some of the questions teens are being asked to explore through a sonnet.

Miami-Dade Teen Poetry Contest

And what exactly is a sonnet?

Basically, it’s a 14-line poem. Traditionally, sonnets have all kinds of rules about rhyme and rhythm and meter and other stuff your English teacher probably tried to explain at some point. But don’t worry. For this contest, the poem needs to be 14 lines, but it does not have to follow strict rules of rhyme or rhythm.

In other words, just write 14 lines about freedom.

But, heads up, and this is cool. There are some serious Miami poets reading these things.

The sonnets will be judged by past and current Miami-Dade County Poet Laureates Richard Blanco, Caridad Moro-Gronlier and Nicole Tallman.

That is a Trifecta of literary gold of national quality poetry.

There are also free workshops scheduled throughout the contest. Tallman will host an online sonnet-writing workshop on Saturday, September 19 at 3 p.m.

Then, on Saturday, October 3, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., former Miami-Dade Poet Laureate Caridad Moro-Gronlier will host “Sonnet Writing in the Insta Age.”

We all know teenagers have a lot to say.

Here’s a chance for them to say it, write it down and share it with Miami-Dade County.

For more info click here.