Writers and Poets Contest Submissions Accepted

2025 Washington County Free Library Announces Annual Writers and Poets Contest 

The Washington County Free Library is once again pleased to announce its annual Writers and Poets Contest that begins in January. The contest includes five age divisions: children in grades 2-3; grades 4-5; grades 6-8; grades 9-12, and adults. Entries will be accepted beginning Wednesday, January 15, 2025, through Saturday, March 15, 2025.  

Entrants must be residents of Washington County, Md., or have a valid Washington County Free Library card. Writers may enter up to two poems and one short story. Employees of Washington County Free Library are not eligible to submit. Short stories must be no longer than 1200 words (about 4 pages double spaced). All entries must be original work and can be on any topic. All entries must be turned in with a completed cover page, which can be downloaded on this page (to the right, under "Attachments"), or picked up at any of our library branches. We will not be able to consider an entry without a completed cover page.  

No email submissions will be accepted. Remember to keep a copy of your work as originals will not be returned. There will be first, second, and third place winners for each division. Winners will be notified in April and honored at a reception in early May. Visit our website, washcolibrary.org, for more information. Entries may be submitted to any library branch in Washington County, or they may be mailed to:  

Writers and Poets Contest 

Attn: Children’s Department 

Washington County Free Library 

100 South Potomac Street 

Hagerstown, Md. 21740 

Mailed entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2024. Call Dakota Vaughn at 301-739-3250 for further information.  

Point of Contact:  

Dakota Vaughn 

Kids and Tweens Library Associate 

Washington County Free Library 

100 S. Potomac St.  

Hagerstown, Md. 21740

All entrants must sign a cover sheet that certifies the following: That they are either a resident of Washington County, or have a valid Washington County Free Library card. That they understand that if it is discovered that this is not the case, their entry will be disqualified. That the piece of written work that they are submitting is their own original work. That they understand that if it is discovered that their piece is plagiarized, their entry will be disqualified. That they understand that in the event that they place in the contest, they retain all copyright to their original work, and it will be used only for the purpose of printing in an anthology for fellow winners. This anthology is not available for public circulation, but can be viewed at the library upon request. 

Additional rules: 

• Staff of the Washington County Free Library are not eligible, nor are previous first-place winners. Family members of staff are eligible, and those who have placed 2nd or 3rd place in previous years. 

• Your entry must be unpublished, either in print or online, including personal blogs, Facebook, or X (formerly Twitter). It cannot be currently under review for possible publication.
• Your poetry entries must not exceed 100 lines.
• Submissions can have up to, but no more than, two authors. All authors are still subject to the limit of two poems and one short story. A co-authored piece counts towards this limit.