24th Annual Terry Plunkett Maine Poetry Festival, April 25, 2026
Building on a long tradition of celebrating student poets, the Plunkett Student Poetry Contest is growing this year! We are expanding the undergraduate category beyond the University of Maine System to include Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Husson, and the University of New England, while continuing to welcome all Maine high school students to submit their poems.
Contest dates, guidelines, and the submission form are available at uma.edu/plunkett.
Winners will be notified in late March.
If you have questions about the Poetry Contest, please contact Professor Noel Tague at noel.tague@maine.edu.
Save the Date!
The 24th annual Terry Plunkett Maine Poetry Festival will take place April 25, 2026. This year, the festival will feature live readings on the UMA Augusta campus, with participation from poets across the state, including Maine high schools, universities, and the broader Maine poetry community.
Our keynote speaker will be Claudie Rankine, New York Times bestselling poet, MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, and NBCCA winner for criticism.
The festival is free and open to all. Event details are in the works – check the Festival’s webpage often for details as they are finalized: uma.edu/plunkett.