The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is hosting an illustrated poem contest for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Entries must be sponsored by a local school or community group for verification purposes.
| Contest_Deadline: | Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 11:54 PM Eastern |
| Local Prizes: | One winner* will be awarded $50 and one runner up* will be awarded $25 for each of the flowing categories: Grades K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12 *Submissions must be of high quality, align with the contest’s theme, and achieve the highest score. |
| Local Contact: | Duy Le (submission@orlandoacs.org) |
| Submission: | Illustrated poem and submission form must be submitted to https://forms.gle/6hszevd9nid4ng9bA or emailed to submission@orlandoacs.org |
Winners of the Orlando Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes!
How to participate:
Write and illustrate a poem using the NCW theme, “The Hidden Life of Spices.”
Your poem must be no more than 40 words and in the following styles to be considered:
HAIKU – LIMERICK – ODE – ABC POEM – FREE VERSE – END RHYME – BLANK VERSE
Possible topics related to the theme include:
- Turmeric
- Molecules
- Capsaicin
- Cinnamon
- Aroma
- Fragrance
- Gingerol
- Eugenol
- Spices
- Chi
Entries will be judged based upon:
Contest rules:
| – All poems must be no more than 40 words, and in one of the following styles to be considered: Haiku, Limerick, Ode, ABC poem, Free verse, End rhyme, and Blank verse. – Entries are judged based upon relevance to and incorporation of the NCW theme, word choice and imagery, colorful artwork, adherence to poem style, originality and creativity, and overall presentation. – All entries must be original works without aid from others. Poems may be submitted by hand on an unlined sheet of paper not larger than 11” by 14” or scanned and sent via email. Illustrations may be created using crayons, watercolors, other types of paint, colored pencils, or markers. The illustration may also be electronically created by using a digital painting and drawing app on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. – The text of the poem should be easy to read and may be typed before the hand-drawn or digital illustration is added, or the poem may be written on lined paper, which is cut out and pasted onto the unlined paper with the illustration. – No clipart or unoriginal images can be used. – Only one entry per student will be accepted; all entries must include an entry form. If the illustration is created using a digital painting or drawing app, the name of the program must be included on the entry form. – Acceptance of prizes constitutes consent to use winners’ first name, and entry for editorial, advertising, and publicity purposes. – Do not place participant names on the front of your poem |
Download submission form and this flyer.