Eighteen years ago, PoeFest opened with just six audience members. By the third night it was packed and they knew they had something special. PoeFest has been a labor of love for more than a decade now helping to turn this little Edgar Allan Poe Festival into the biggest and best in the country.

PoeFest also includes the Student Writing Competition sponsored by Bookmans Entertainment Exchange. Students in grades 7 to 9 compete in poetry and short story contests judged by a panel of experts. The festival comes to a close with a grand finale on Halloween Night featuring performances of ‘The Raven’ every twenty minutes at the historic Rosson House Museum in Heritage Square, Downtown Phoenix.

PoeFest Student Writing Competition sponsored by Bookmans

Each year, ACT Inc. and PoeFest, in partnership with Bookmans, hold a Student Writing Competition open to all Arizona students in grades 7, 8, and 9. Bookmans is pleased to sponsor this competition and provide great prizes to the student winners. The updated rules for 2026:

STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION

Eligibility

  • Arizona students must be in 7th, 8th, or 9th grade for the 2026-2027 school
  • Home schooled students are
  • Submissions must be original, unpublished, and in
  • One entry per student per category (i.e., a student may submit one short story and one poem).
  • The author or poet must have the explicit permission of a parent or legal
  • The entry must include the email and/or phone number of a parent or legal
  • Entries must contain the author’s full name, date of birth, school name, and grade level for the 2026-2027 school year.
  • The author or poet must be a resident of the State of
  • Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM on October 29,
  • Winners announced on Halloween October 31, 2026

Submission Guidelines

Short Story Competition

  • Word Count: Between 1,000 and 7,500
  • Format: Entries may be submitted electronically to contest@poefest.org in Word document, Google Doc, or PDF format.
  • Theme: Entries must adhere to the genres of horror and/or
  • Copyright: All submissions must be original Authors retain full copyright ownership of their submissions.

Poetry Competition

  • Line Count: No more than 100
  • Format: Entries may be submitted electronically to contest@poefest.org in Word document, Google Doc, or PDF
  • Theme: Entries must adhere to the genres oflove, horror, and/or
  • Copyright: All submissions must be original Authors retain full copyright ownership of their submissions.

Prizes & Recognition

Short Story Competition Grand Prize

  • $200 Scholarship from ACT
  • Bookmans Entertainment Exchange Prize Package
  • Certificate of Recognition
  • Recognition on PoeFest website and social media

Poetry Competition Grand Prize

  • $200 Scholarship from ACT
  • Bookmans Entertainment Exchange Prize Package
  • Certificate of Recognition
  • Recognition on PoeFest website and social media