Contest Overview
- Purpose: To inspire students in Archdiocesan-affiliated schools to write about spiritual topics motivated by St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle for All Creatures, to increase writing skills, and to increase writing confidence.
- Eligibility: Only open to students enrolled in 7th or 8th grade in a school affiliated with the Catholic Schools Office in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Click here to view Catholic schools eligible for this contest.
- Deadline: Friday, September 10, 2026, at 11:59 pm CST.
2026 Prompt
- 2026 Poem Prompt: Write a poem responding to any of the themes used by St. Francis of Assisi in his poem entitled Canticle for All Creatures.
Submission Guidelines
- Format: One Word document.
- Length: Maximum of 18 lines (title and stanza breaks do not count). A poem submitted may contain less than 18 lines. All metrical forms and free-verse are accepted.
- Formatting: Typed in Times New Roman or Arial, font size 12. No handwritten submissions.
- Anonymity: Student names should not appear on the poem but must be included in the submission form.
- Required Details: Include the student’s school, grade, and a unique title for the poem in the top left corner of the page of the poem. Here is an example of a formatted individual poem's page.
- Requirements for Batch Submissions: Each batch submission will include poems by students in one grade level. Note: if a school is submitting poems in seventh and eighth grade, then two contest submissions are required, with one batch submission per grade level. In addition, each batch submission will include a Batch Submission Summary Form listing the following information for each poem: student name, grade, and title of poem. Here is an example of the required Batch Submission Summary Form and a formatted individual poem's page.
Anti-Plagiarism
- Disqualification: Plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in disqualification from the contest and other possible consequences.
- Originality: The poem must be original, not created by AI technology or copied from another source, unpublished in print, unpublished on the web or in limited edition books.
- Anti-Plagiarism Lesson Plan: To assist students in understanding the definition of plagiarism and its seriousness, we offer this downloadable lesson plan.
- Anti-Plagiarism Declaration: Each student submitting a poem must sign an affirmative declaration that his or her writing is unique, original work. Teachers will keep the statements in their files for one year.
Anti-AI Usage
- Disqualification: Use of material generated by AI and claimed to be the work of the submitting is a serious offense and will result in disqualification from the contest and other possible consequences.
- Originality: The poem must be original, not created by AI technology or copied from another source, unpublished in print, unpublished on the web or in limited edition books.
- Anti-AI Lesson Plan: To assist students in understanding the definition of plagiarism from AI-generated material and its seriousness, we offer this downloadable lesson plan.
- Anti-AI Declaration: Each student submitting a poem must sign an affirmative declaration that his or her writing is not the result, in whole or part, of AI-generated material. Teachers will keep the statements in their files for one year.
Entry Fee
- Cost: $55 per participating school.
- Payment: Check with your school principal or instructional specialist to confirm if the fee has been paid.
Submission Process
- Open Dates: May 10, 2026 – September 26, 2026 (11:59 pm CST).
- Method: Submit individual poems via Submittable, or through a teacher’s batch submission via Submittable.
Finalists and Winners Selection and Announcement
- Finalists: The preliminary round judges will select the finalists, who will be announced on the Catholic Literary Arts website by September 17, 2026.
- Winners: From the pool of finalists, the final round judge will choose the winners, to be announced on the Catholic Literary Arts website by September 26, 2026.
Awards Ceremony
- Winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and honorable mentions) will be invited to read their entries at the Awards Ceremony in-person with their families, friends, school principals, and submitting teachers. The Awards Ceremony will take place on October 8, 2026, and details will be shared at a later date.
Contest Overview
- Purpose: To inspire students in Archdiocesan-affiliated schools to write about spiritual topics motivated by St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle for All Creatures, to increase writing skills, and to increase writing confidence.
- Eligibility: Only open to students enrolled in 9th or 10th grade in a school affiliated with the Catholic Schools Office in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Click here to view Catholic schools eligible for this contest.
- Deadline: Friday, September 10, 2026, at 11:59 pm CST.
2026 Prompt
- 2026 Poem Prompt: Write a poem responding to any of the themes used by St. Francis of Assisi in his poem entitled Canticle for All Creatures.
Submission Guidelines
- Format: One Word document.
- Length: Maximum of 18 lines (title and stanza breaks do not count). A poem submitted may contain less than 18 lines. All metrical forms and free-verse are accepted.
- Formatting: Typed in Times New Roman or Arial, font size 12. No handwritten submissions.
- Anonymity: Student names should not appear on the poem but must be included in the submission form.
- Required Details: Include the student’s school, grade, and a unique title for the poem in the top left corner of the page of the poem. Here is an example of a formatted individual poem's page.
- Requirements for Batch Submissions: Each batch submission will include poems by students in one grade level. Note: if a school is submitting poems in ninth and tenth grade, then two contest submissions are required, with one batch submission per grade level. In addition, each batch submission will include a Batch Submission Summary Form listing the following information for each poem: student name, grade, and title of poem. Here is an example of the required Batch Submission Summary Form and a formatted individual poem's page.
Anti-Plagiarism
- Disqualification: Plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in disqualification from the contest and other possible consequences.
- Originality: The poem must be original, not created by AI technology or copied from another source, unpublished in print, unpublished on the web or in limited edition books.
- Anti-Plagiarism Lesson Plan: To assist students in understanding the definition of plagiarism and its seriousness, we offer this downloadable lesson plan.
- Anti-Plagiarism Declaration: Each student submitting a poem must sign an affirmative declaration that his or her writing is unique, original work. Teachers will keep the statements in their files for one year.
Anti-AI Usage
- Disqualification: Use of material generated by AI and claimed to be the work of the submitting is a serious offense and will result in disqualification from the contest and other possible consequences.
- Originality: The poem must be original, not created by AI technology or copied from another source, unpublished in print, unpublished on the web or in limited edition books.
- Anti-AI Lesson Plan: To assist students in understanding the definition of plagiarism from AI-generated material and its seriousness, we offer this downloadable lesson plan.
- Anti-AI Declaration: Each student submitting a poem must sign an affirmative declaration that his or her writing is not the result, in whole or part, of AI-generated material. Teachers will keep the statements in their files for one year.
Entry Fee
- Cost: $55 per participating school.
- Payment: Check with your school principal or instructional specialist to confirm if the fee has been paid.
Submission Process
- Open Dates: May 10, 2026 – September 26, 2026 (11:59 pm CST).
- Method: Submit individual poems via Submittable, or through a teacher’s batch submission via Submittable.
Finalists and Winners Selection and Announcement
- Finalists: The preliminary round judges will select the finalists, who will be announced on the Catholic Literary Arts website by September 17, 2026.
- Winners: From the pool of finalists, the final round judge will choose the winners, to be announced on the Catholic Literary Arts website by September 26, 2026.
Awards Ceremony
- Winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and honorable mentions) will be invited to read their entries at the Awards Ceremony in-person with their families, friends, school principals, and submitting teachers. The Awards Ceremony will take place on October 8, 2026, and details will be shared at a later date.
Contest Overview
- Purpose: To inspire students in Archdiocesan-affiliated schools to write about spiritual topics motivated by St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle for All Creatures, to increase writing skills, and to increase writing confidence.
- Eligibility: Only open to students enrolled in 11th or 12th grade in a school affiliated with the Catholic Schools Office in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Click here to view Catholic schools eligible for this contest.
- Deadline: Friday, September 10, 2026, at 11:59 pm CST.
2026 Prompt
- 2026 Poem Prompt: Write a poem responding to any of the themes used by St. Francis of Assisi in his poem entitled Canticle for All Creatures.
Submission Guidelines
- Format: One Word document.
- Length: Maximum of 18 lines (title and stanza breaks do not count). A poem submitted may contain less than 18 lines. All metrical forms and free-verse are accepted.
- Formatting: Typed in Times New Roman or Arial, font size 12. No handwritten submissions.
- Anonymity: Student names should not appear on the poem but must be included in the submission form.
- Required Details: Include the student’s school, grade, and a unique title for the poem in the top left corner of the page of the poem. Here is an example of a formatted individual poem's page.
- Requirements for Batch Submissions: Each batch submission will include poems by students in one grade level. Note: if a school is submitting poems in eleventh and twelfth grade, then two contest submissions are required, with one batch submission per grade level. In addition, each batch submission will include a Batch Submission Summary Form listing the following information for each poem: student name, grade, and title of poem. Here is an example of the required Batch Submission Summary Form and a formatted individual poem's page.
Anti-Plagiarism
- Disqualification: Plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in disqualification from the contest and other possible consequences.
- Originality: The poem must be original, not created by AI technology or copied from another source, unpublished in print, unpublished on the web or in limited edition books.
- Anti-Plagiarism Lesson Plan: To assist students in understanding the definition of plagiarism and its seriousness, we offer this downloadable lesson plan.
- Anti-Plagiarism Declaration: Each student submitting a poem must sign an affirmative declaration that his or her writing is unique, original work. Teachers will keep the statements in their files for one year.
Anti-AI Usage
- Disqualification: Use of material generated by AI and claimed to be the work of the submitting is a serious offense and will result in disqualification from the contest and other possible consequences.
- Originality: The poem must be original, not created by AI technology or copied from another source, unpublished in print, unpublished on the web or in limited edition books.
- Anti-AI Lesson Plan: To assist students in understanding the definition of plagiarism from AI-generated material and its seriousness, we offer this downloadable lesson plan.
- Anti-AI Declaration: Each student submitting a poem must sign an affirmative declaration that his or her writing is not the result, in whole or part, of AI-generated material. Teachers will keep the statements in their files for one year.
Entry Fee
- Cost: $55 per participating school.
- Payment: Check with your school principal or instructional specialist to confirm if the fee has been paid.
Submission Process
- Open Dates: May 10, 2026 – September 26, 2026 (11:59 pm CST).
- Method: Submit individual poems via Submittable, or through a teacher’s batch submission via Submittable.
Finalists and Winners Selection and Announcement
- Finalists: The preliminary round judges will select the finalists, who will be announced on the Catholic Literary Arts website by September 17, 2026.
- Winners: From the pool of finalists, the final round judge will choose the winners, to be announced on the Catholic Literary Arts website by September 26, 2026.
Awards Ceremony
- Winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, and honorable mentions) will be invited to read their entries at the Awards Ceremony in-person with their families, friends, school principals, and submitting teachers. The Awards Ceremony will take place on October 8, 2026, and details will be shared at a later date.