FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2026

Media Contact:
Leslie Wharton, 2026 Chair
360.221.4226
SueCBoynton@gmail.com

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Entries Sought for 21st Annual Whatcom Poetry Contest

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Bellingham, WA – The Sue C. Boynton Poetry contest, a celebration of local writers, announces
the launch of its 2026 competition. All Whatcom County residents regardless of age or
experience are invited to enter an original poem. Poems will be accepted between March 1 –
31, 2026.

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Writers may enter one previously unpublished poem on any topic. Poems must be 27 lines or
less, with 55 or fewer characters per line. All contest submission guidelines must be met. They
can be found at https://thepoetrydepartment.wordpress.com/contest.

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Entries may be emailed to SueCBoynton@gmail.com or mailed to Boynton Poetry Contest,
PO Box 621, Bellingham, WA 98227 by March 31. They may also be dropped off at Allied
Arts, 1213 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham, Tuesday through Saturday between 11-4 until March
31. Twenty winners will be notified during the month of April.

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The contest culminates in a public recognition ceremony scheduled for Thursday, May 28 at
Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Avenue. The free celebration begins at 7pm. Award
recipients will read their poems and artistic placards accompanying their work will be on display.
Chapbooks featuring the winning poems will be on sale.

Ten of the winning poems will be displayed for a year on the Poetry Walk in front of Bellingham
Public Library downtown. In addition, poetry placards will be posted inside all Whatcom
Transportation Authority buses, in schools, libraries and online.

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This year’s contest judges are Sam Wallin and Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor. Sam is a poet,
theatre artist, playwright and teacher and helped organize the Salish Sea Poetry Festival.
Working for Whatcom County Library System, he also leads collage and poetry workshops. A

storyteller, author and performance artist, Rebecca has published non-fiction, poetry and short
fiction.

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The Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest is a program of Whatcom County Poetry Series, a
501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. It was named for Sue Crocker Boynton, an early local resident
who considered herself an amateur yet encouraged others to write.