The San Antonio Public Library invites young poets in Bexar County to submit work for the historic Young Pegasus Poetry Competition.
SAN ANTONIO — Young San Antonio writers, your moment to shine is here!
The San Antonio Public Library is calling on poets to submit their best work for the “Young Pegasus Poetry Competition” – one of the longest-running youth poetry programs in the nation.
Young Pegasus first launched in 1927 and has given young people a platform to express themselves and see their words in print. Winners are published each year in the library’s “Young Pegasus Anthology,” which is a collection that’s seen the early works of some big San Antonio names, including poet Naomi Shihab Nye, former Mayor Henry Cisneros and author Jay Brandon.
“This competition has empowered young people to express themselves through writing for nearly a century,” said SAPL Director Sukrit Goswami. “Writing gives young people a creative outlet to interpret their experiences, process their emotions, and make sense of our world. Young Pegasus reaffirms that their words have value.”
The competition is open to writers 18 and under who live in Bexar County. Each participant can submit up to five poems in English or Spanish. If the poem is submitted in another language, an English translation is required. A panel of judges will review the submissions and select the poems that will appear in the 2026 anthology.
The deadline to submit is December 8, and a private celebration for the selected poets will be held in spring 2026.
To read the rules or upload your poems, click here.
For more information about SAPL, click here or call library staff at 210-207-2500.