Aline B. Carter began her annual poetry prize competition for young poets in the early 1940s. After being appointed Texas Poet Laureate in the 1947-1949 term, Aline co-founded Texas Poetry Day which is held annually on October 15th. In that spirit, the Maverick Carter House and Gemini Ink host an annual poetry competition open to 10th, 11 and 12th grade high school students in San Antonio. An additional poetry competition is held for Port Aransas students and may be accessed through the following link here. Interested students may submit poems to a three judge panel through the proper channels provided by Gemini Ink. The judges select winners for the respective schools after reviewing the submitted poems in various styles and forms. Accepted forms include sonnets, couplets, haiku, and free verse. The contest invites students to write poems on a theme to be announced each year.
Prizes:
First Place
Second Place
Third Place
Category Prizes:
Best Free Verse Form Poem
Best Bilingual or Spanish Poem
Best Poem in Form
The selected students receive a cash award and an invitation to recite the poem at a ceremony held at the Maverick Carter House.
For the inaugural contest in 2019, the Maverick Carter House and Gemini Ink were honored to have Mobi Warren, Anthony “The Poet” Flores and 2018-2020 San Antonio Poet Laureate Octavio Quintanilla sit as a distinguished judge panel. We are grateful for their generous time and contribution to make this community event possible.
The 2023 Poetry Contest will be held this coming April. Judges include 2018-2020 San Antonio Poet Laureate Dr. Octavio Quintanilla, 2020-2023 San Antonio Poet Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, and Local San Antonio Poet Eddie Vega. The Maverick Carter House will receive the admissions and contact the winning students. Please visit the Poetry Page to learn more or submit your poems.
Deadline
April 17th, 2023
Award Ceremony
May 6th, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
Held at the Maverick Carter House (108 Auditorium Cir., San Antonio, TX, 78205)
We encourage students, parents and teachers to attend the award ceremony
2023 Aline B. Carter Poetry Prize for Young Poets
2023 – May 6th at 10:00 a.m.
“Flavors of San Antonio”
Student Poems
2022 – April 30th at 10:30 a.m.
“Family”
Student Poems
2021 – Canceled Due to Covid-19
2020 – April 11th (Reception Canceled Due to Covid-19) (Video Readings Link)
“The Natural World of Texas”
Student Poems
2019 – April 27th at 10:30 a.m.
“San Antonio, My City”
Student Poems
