The Lake Placid Institute is welcoming submissions to its 2011 Great Adirondack Young People’s Poetry Contest. One of the Institute’s flagship programs, the annual poetry contest established in 1998, is now in it’s 13th year.

This year’s judge, Dr. Sarah Barber, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Poetry at St. Lawrence University, has numerous journal publications and one book of poetry entitled, The Kissing Party. When asked to particiapte in the program, Dr. Barber replied, “I’d be delighted to serve as judge. It sounds like a terrific program. We NEED more poetry in the primary and secondary classrooms!”.

The Great Adirondack Young People’s Poetry Contest is open to all students grade 1 – 12 (including those home schooled) within the Adirondack Park. Submissions will be accepted until Friday, March 11th, 2011. Please make sure to include the poet’s name, age, grade, teacher, and school with all poems submitted. This year the Insititute is offering three scholarships to the 2011 Champlain College Young Writer’s Conference for 11th and 12th graders. Two entries may be sent by each participant to: info@lakeplacidinstitute.org.

The winning poems will be published in a book entitled “Words From the Woods”. Each poet is encouraged to read their poem to the audience at an award ceremony to be held Sunday, May 1st, at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts! We want to thank the LPCA for generously hosting the poetry awards ceremony each year.

The program is made possible by a lead grant from the Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, Verizon Foundation, Corning-Chisolm Fund through Adirondack Community Trust, Stewart’s Shops, Inc., and a Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks CAP Grant.