Pongo Poetry Project's Cover Art Contest

Youth Artists, submit your artwork for the cover of Pongo's next book of youth poetry!


Deadline Extended: January 31st, 2020

Theme: expressing complicated feelings,  difficult experiences, painful memories, self-acceptance, and dreams.

Age Eligibility: 8 to 25

Artwork can include:

  • drawing,
  • sketches,
  • paintings,
  • photographs,
  • sculptures and other three-dimensional work that can be photographed


The winning youth artist will receive a $150 Prize in the form of a gift card to their choice of Trader Joe's, Safeway, QFC, or Fred Meyer.

At the Pongo Editorial Team's discretion a runner-up could get an opportunity for either of the following:

  • their artwork put in the book as a section opener.
  • their artwork posted on our website or newsletter.


Submit to Pongo's Cover Art Contest by following these steps:

1.) Attach your art as a jpeg  or png in an email to Shaun at programmanager@pongoteenwriting.org. Include your name in the file name (e.g., Powerful_a painting by Jane Doe).

2.) Attach a signed and completed copy of our Artist's Release (click here to download).

Need inspiration? Read some of the collection's poetry by clicking here .

Know a youth artist? Download the contest's flyer by clicking here and spread the word!

Sponsoring Organization: Pongo is a 25-year-old, Seattle-based non-profit that publishes poetry by youth living difficult lives. As Pongo has published dozens of books and given thousands away to youth around the world, this would be a great way to share your artwork with a large audience.

Winner Selection: Pongo Contest Judges will select winning artwork based on thematic and aesthetic considerations related to the collection of poems in which the art will appear. Winner selection is not a reflection of Pongo Contest Judges' opinion of youth artist's skill or a piece of artwork's merit or value. All Pongo Contest Judges' decisions are final.

Copyright Statement: Artists will retain copyright on their work. Submitting artwork to Pongo gives Pongo only a one-time, royalty-free license to use the work on/in this publication only, and any other uses of the work will be separately negotiated with the artist. Pongo can put an official copyright statement on artwork; however, Pongo can do so only if we have an artist's permission to use their actual name or an artist's chosen pseudonym.