WINCHENDON – The Beals Memorial Library is seeking poets to submit one original, unpublished poem for the seventh annual Beals Prize for Poetry competition.

Ten poets will be selected by a panel of judges to read their poems aloud at the Beals Memorial Library on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 24, with three finalists being selected to win cash prizes. The prizes for the contest will be in the amounts of $250, $100, and $50 for first, second and third place winners, respectively.

Interested participants have until Friday, Aug. 14, to enter their original work via e-mail to bealspoetryprize@gmail.com and a Word document is preferred.

Library Director Manuel King said he founded the poetry competition in 2018 to “encourage the art of poetry” and noted that the Beals Prize for Poetry has become increasingly popular, as the contest and its prizes have grown every year.

King noted, “The quality of the judging and the quality of the poems that are submitted” has stood out most for him over the years.

“I like poetry and being involved in that world” King added.

King said he was inspired by his former colleague and poet Candace Curran and their time working together at the Wheeler Library in Orange.

“Candace inspired me to start the Beals Prize” said King.

The poetry contest is free to enter and open to residents of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire that are within 20 miles from the town of Wichindon.

Previous first place winners are not eligible to participate and participants are required to be at least 18 years of age.

Previous first place winners of the Beals Prize for Poetry include last year’s winner Karolina Zapal, of Florence, for her poem “Cost of Love,” Cleo Rohn of Northampton, who took first place in 2024 for her work, “Not Every Poem Has to Be About God”, and Sara Letourneau of Foxboro who won in 2023 for “At the Immersive Monet and Impressionists Exhibit”.

In addition, the library will also host the fourth annual Beals Prize for Young Poets for students in grades 9 through 12.

Beginning this fall, the library will hold the first annual Beals Indie Author Fair on Sept. 19, which is open to authors, writers, illustrators, editors, and literary agents to network, sell and read aloud original works. This event is also open to the public.

For more information about the 2026 Beals Prize for Poetry or the Beals Memorial Library visit www.bealslibrary.org/ or call 978-297-0300.