The Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest

Pikes Peak Library District’s annual Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest engages 4th and 5th grade writers. Poetry creates opportunities for children to explore a variety of topics and emotions through writing. The 2025 contest theme is Poems of Belonging: Home, Community, and Origins. This contest continues Jean Ciavonne’s legacy of connecting children with poetry and writing. 

Questions to ask yourself as you think about your poem: Where are you from? What is home for you? Who are your people? Explore these and other questions in a poem and see what happens!

Questions to ask yourself as you write your poem: Can we see, smell, hear, and taste the imagery in your poem? Have you used rich vocabulary that tells us a story or paints a picture in our minds? Does your poem reflect the theme?

Six winners will each receive a book and a $50 cash prize. The contest is open to all 4th and 5th graders in El Paso County.

Submissions open on Mon., Dec. 2, 2024 and must be postmarked by Sat., March 1, 2025. Winners will be honored during an Awards Ceremony on Sat., April 19, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at Penrose Library (20 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903). 

Contest Rules

1. Must be a 4th or 5th grader in El Paso County, Colorado.
2. One entry per student. Teachers are encouraged to review poems before submitting them.  
3. Each poem must be the original work of the contestant.  
4. Poems will be judged on originality, including poem title and adherence to the theme.  
5. Submit one double-spaced copy of the poem on 8 ½ x 11” paper (no handwritten submissions or illustrations will be accepted).  
   On a separate piece of paper, include your name, telephone number, home address, school name and address, and the names of the teacher and principal. Poems will not be returned, so please keep a copy.  
6. Entries must be postmarked by Sat., March 1, 2025. Submission of a poem constitutes full permission to exhibit, use, and publish the poem for any purpose – printed or electronic media – and to publish the name, school, and photographs and/or video of the student without compensation.  
7. Winners will be celebrated at an Awards ceremony where they will be given the opportunity to read their poem to the audience.

Entries may be mailed to: The Jean Ciavonne Poetry Contest c/o Christa Funke, Pikes Peak Library District P.O. Box 1579 Colorado Springs, CO 80901-1579 Or email entries, following the guidelines above to: cfunke@ppld.org

Questions? Call Christa Funke at 531-6333, x6331 or email cfunke@ppld.org. 

Congratulations to our 2024 winners!

• Elsie Byrne, 5th Grade, Homeschool - "Overlooked"
• Lilia Gerber, 5th Grade, Gerber Homeschool - “Black and Brown Again”
• Enray Liu, 4th Grade, The Classical Academy Central Elementary - “Melody of Courage”
• Clara Pavri, 5th Grade, Colorado International Language Academy - “Figures on a Crinkled Map”
• Sara Schmidt, 5th Grade, Thomas Maclaren School - “My Lost Heart”
• Sienna Shafer, 5th Grade, Monument Academy - “The Best Dream”

Jean Ciavonne Remembered from PPLD TV on Vimeo.