A small museum in rural Mayes County is once again inviting Oklahomans of all ages to use their written words to describe their surroundings.
The Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry, based in Locust Grove, is accepting entries for its annual Oklahoma Poem Contest. The statewide writing competition is open to students from kindergarten through high school, as well as adults.
Founded in 2012, the museum focuses on making poetry accessible and interactive.
Director Shaun Perkins said the contest is designed to help writers see poetry as something rooted in everyday life.
“Your subject matter is, for the most part, what you experience around you…what you can see, and you can feel and you can touch,” Perkins said.
The contest assigns each grade level a specific Oklahoma emblem to inspire vivid imagery.
Younger students might write about raccoons or strawberries, while older students tackle symbols like the buffalo or the scissor-tailed flycatcher. Including adults, there are 13 divisions.
Perkins said the emblem-based approach helps ground poetry in familiar places and objects, particularly for students in rural communities.
“The world of poetry is the poetry of life,” she said. “It’s what’s right outside your door.”
Winners in each category receive cash prizes, and awards are presented during the museum’s annual Wonder City Wordfest in April, held in conjunction with National Poetry Month.
Perkins, a former teacher, said contests like this can be especially important as public schools cut arts and writing programs.
“The earlier a child learns that their creative voice matters, and that it’s valued, the better off we all are,” she said.
Perkins said some past participants have gone on to publish poetry, while others return to enter the contest year after year.
But even for those who don’t pursue writing long-term, she said the goal is to create a positive, lasting experience with creative expression.
Entry forms and contest details are available at rompoetry.com.
