2023 Earth Day Poetry Contest

sponsored by the
Coati Kids Club
of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

For children in grades K-6. Winners from each grade level will be chosen.

Each student who would like to enter should write a poem about the Sonoran Desert — how this place is their home, or animals, plants, the landscape, observations, feelings, hopes — whatever is important to that student.

Poems can be submitted by mail or digitally. Teachers/Students: please send in each poem with student name, grade level, teacher name, and the school name posted on the front of the poem. Teachers, please provide your phone number and e-mail address. Only individual entries will be accepted, no class entries.

Poems should be submitted (postmarked or emailed) to the address below by March 24, 2023*:

Email poem as a pdf or photo to rkropp@desertmuseum.org or mail to:

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Coati Kids Club
2021 N. Kinney Road
Tucson, AZ 85743
*Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want us to return your poetry.

Entries will be judged on originality and content by a panel of Desert Museum and UA Poetry Center judges. Teachers of winning entries will be notified by April 24, 2023. All winning poems will be featured on the Desert Museum website, and all winning poets will receive a certificate and family pass to attend the reading and reception. The first place winner from each grade will win a 2023 membership to the Coati Kids' Club!

Plus, one overall winner from grades K-3 and one from grades 4-6 will receive a FREE Desert Museum live animal virtual outreach program for their school in May!

For additional information call Robin Kropp in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Education Department at (520) 883-3034 or e-mail rkropp@desertmuseum.org.

See previous winners here