The Shadows-on-the-Teche will hold its Second Annual Juneteenth Student Poetry Contest. The contest will be open to the public and held on Saturday, June 15th, at 10:00 a.m. at the Sliman Theater, located at 129 E. Main Street in New Iberia.

Using “The Hill We Climb” by poet Amanda Gorman as a prompt, Iberia Parish public school students were invited to write poems to commemorate the Juneteenth National Holiday. The theme of the competition was “Freedom and Justice for All.”   

Winners of the competition will be announced in two categories: middle school and high school. Cash prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place winners in each category. Students who placed will have the opportunity to read their poems.

Judges for the competition are former Louisiana Poet Laureates Darrell Bourque, Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, and John Warner Smith.

The event is free to the public. Students and teachers at Iberia Parish public schools are especially encouraged to attend, as well as their family and friends.

For additional information, contact John Warner Smith, Executive Director of the Shadows-on-the-Teche at (337)-369-6446 or at jwsmith@savingplaces.org