Calling St. Louis Poets:

The Field House Museum is excited to announce our 2nd annual Poetry in the Garden competition series for 2025, held in the museum’s garden in downtown St. Louis.

This competition aims to honor the legacy of 19^th-century poet Eugene Field by inviting St. Louis and surrounding area poets to create works inspired by some of the themes he returned to again and again over the course of his career. This year, the themes will include friendship, the four seasons, memories of childhood, and home.

We invite poets of all ages and skill levels to submit their original, unpublished works to programs@fieldhousemuseum.org by the deadlines listed below.

Submission Details:

• Submit your poem inspired by any of the four themes to programs@fieldhousemuseum.org
  • Submission Deadline – July 17, 2025, 11:59 pm
  • Poems can be of any style and length as long as they are original, unpublished works.
  • Please include your name, contact information, and a brief bio in the body of the email.
  • Poets of all backgrounds, with priority given to poets from the St. Louis area, are welcome.

Prizes:

• Three winners per theme will be selected by a panel of judges.
• Each winner will receive $50 and will be invited to perform their winning poem at the corresponding Poetry in the Garden event in the garden of the Field House Museum.
• Event Dates by Theme:
  • Friendship – August 21
  • The Four Seasons – September 4
  • Memories of Childhood – September 18
  • Home – October 1

Inspiration:

To ignite your creativity, we invite you to explore some of Eugene Field’s poems about friendship, the four seasons, memories of childhood, and home. You can find a curated selection of his works here.

We look forward to reading your submissions. Winners will be notified at least two weeks prior to each event.