About the Genesee Valley Peace Poetry Contest

The Genesee Valley Peace Poetry Contest, started in 2005, is open to all students K-8 in the Genesee Valley area. The rules of the contest are simple: students simply need to write a poem about whatever peace means to them.

The goal of the contest is to give students the opportunity to reflect creatively on the theme of peace at a time when so much of what they encounter in the media is dominated by images of violence: what does peace mean to them? What brings them peace in their lives? How might young people help to create a more peaceful world? The contest does not take any formal position on any current conflicts, though we certainly welcome poems that address war, politics, or religion from any perspective.

Winners will receive a certificate of achievement, as well as the publication of their poems in a chapbook that will be available to students and their families. Those students selected as winners will also be invited, along with their families and any interested teachers, to read their poems at a ceremony hosted by the Geneseo English department on April 30, 2023 at the Geneseo Wadsworth Auditorium. In addition, three students (one from K-2, one from 3-5, and one from 6-8) will be chosen as overall winners and will receive extra prizes. There will be a reception with light refreshments following the event at a TBD location.