Eligible entrants include any Fresno County 7th-12th grade student in a public or private
school or being home-schooled. Students may submit one entry in each category.

AWARDS FOR POETRY
● Every entry receives a certificate.
● The TOP 10 per category, will receive medals.
● The TOP three overall in middle school (7th-8th) will receive an iPad; the TOP
three in high school (9th-12th) will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
● Grand Prize – 1 winner will be awarded a POETRY Grand Prize, which is a paid trip
(paid airfare, hotel, and food allowance) to visit the National 9/11 Memorial in
New York City, for one student and 1 family chaperone (value up to $5,000).
● Teacher Award – The registered teacher of the POETRY Grand Prize winner will
also receive a paid trip (paid airfare, hotel, and food allowance) to visit the
National 9/11 Memorial in New York City.
● A student can only win the Art or Poetry Grand Prize once.
● The student awards will be given to the top 3 and Grand Prize winner on September
12, 2024.

POETRY PROMPT
Reflect on how our country was united as a result of the events of September 11, 2001.
It has been almost 23 years since September 11, 2001. Even though this was before you
were born, you are probably familiar with the tragic events that happened in New York
City, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania (Flight 93) and how it changed
our country. One way in which it changed the United States of America is that we
came together as a nation to mourn our loss and celebrate our heroes. Countless
heroes, many of them unnamed, came to the aid of victims of the tragedy.

Research the event, focusing on the first responders (police officers, firefighters,
emergency personnel, and others). Create an original poem that relates to the heroes
of September 11th and represents the theme of ONE VOICE – THE SPIRIT OF 9/12. The poem can be rhymed or free verse.

The Spirit of 9/12 is to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001.
We were not obsessed with red states, blue states or political parties. We were united as
Americans, standing together to protect the values and principles of the United States
of America.

GUIDELINES
1. All entries are judged anonymously, and the student’s name must not appear on
the poem itself.
2. Poems must include a cover sheet, which includes the title, student’s first and last
name, age, grade level, school name, email address, and telephone number.
3. Poems must have a title and must not exceed 40 lines in length (excluding title)
with no illustrations or graphics.
4. Poems must be the student’s original work and must not have been published
anywhere, in any form, including online.
5. Poems should be typed in English or translated into English, printed in black ink with a
minimum type size of 12pt. Poems can be double or single-spaced.
6. Only one poetry entry per student is allowed.
7. Registration form must be completed online.
8. The registration form and release and waiver of liability form must be printed and
attached to the back of the poem.
9. All submissions must be suitable for all audiences; any poetry that expresses
violence, is sexually suggestive, vulgar, or otherwise explicitly offensive will not be
considered.
10. All poetry submitted for consideration must be the original creation of the
student and must not be generated using artificial intelligence. Submissions
found to be in violation of this policy will be disqualified from consideration. By
submitting your poetry, you acknowledge and agree to abide by this
requirement.
     a. By submitting the online registration, you certify that no generative AI was
used in the creation of this poetry.                                                                                                                                11. Submitted poetry is subject for use by the Fresno County Superintendent of
Schools and The California 9/11 Memorial Foundation.                                                                                                12. Deliver the poem to Fresno County Office of Education, 1111 Van Ness Avenue, on
May 31, 2024, no later than 4:30 p.m. (To make arrangements for an alternate
delivery date contact Dr. Lisa Benham-Lewis, lbenham@fcoe.org)
13. Entries not complying with competition rules will be disqualified.

Poetry Rubric

CONTEST INFORMATION: Dr. Lisa Benham-Lewis, Director | lbenham@fcoe.org
REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Jeanette Martinez, Administrative Assistant | jmartinez@fcoe.org