If you write poetry or create visual arts and are a current student, colleges are holding a contest to name a student Poet Laureate and Visual Arts Luminary.

The competitions for Poet Laureate and Visual Arts Luminary awards are open to all students who are enrolled at least part-time in adult education, workforce credential, certificate, dual enrollment/early college, or degree/transfer programs at a participating Virginia Community College in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and/or Spring 2026.

Applicants may submit materials only to the college in their service region. Dual enrollment or early college students under age 18 must be able to secure parental permission. Interest applications are available now. Interested students must submit work by the deadline established at your college.

Students interested in entering the Poet Laureate competition must submit three original poems or prose poems for consideration; at least one poem must be related to the theme, “I Dream.” Students interested in visual arts must submit one original art piece related to theme, “I Dream.” The accepted art forms are drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and ceramics. The theme-related work for both the poetry and visual art competitions must have been created in 2025 or early 2026. Any work – whether poetry or visual arts – that has been created with the use of artificial intelligence is not eligible.

Questions can be directed to the college coordinators:

• Blue Ridge, Alissa Cruz and Jessica Martinkosky
• Brightpoint, Brittney Scott and Paula Winn
• Paul D. Camp, Julie Eng
• Central Virginia, Lana Dove and Tami Karabin
• Danville, Ilaria Cotten, Ashley Yancey, and Jimmy  Dohe
• Eastern Shore, Christina Duffman and William “Bill” McCarter
• Germanna, Sarah Hall
• Laurel Ridge, David Gray
• Mountain Empire, Meg Wilson
• Mountain Gateway, Nova Wright
• New River, Tammy Parks
• NOVA, Caitlin Centineo and Nigel Word
• Patrick & Henry, Terry Young
• Piedmont Virginia, Fenella Belle (visual arts) and Scott Weaver (poet)
• Rappahannock, Jennifer Newhouse
• Reynolds, Ben Cowman and Nicole Tong
• Southside Virginia, Vondrenna Smithers
• Southwest Virginia, Morgan Gilbert (visual arts) and Aranda Vance (poet)
• Tidewater, Carolyn Phillips and Marcee Andersen
• Virginia Highlands, Marie Porterfield (visual art) and Julianna Jones (poet)
• Virginia Peninsula, David Garrett
• Virginia Western, Natasha Lee and Bernadette Battle
• Wytheville, Rodney Alderman and Yvonne Grigg

Learn more about last year's winner Ana Leng from her radio interview on WLNI.