Oklahoma Route 66 Poetry Contest Now Open

The Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry in Locust Grove, Oklahoma is holding a contest that will result in an exhibit called Rhyming on Route 66, an interactive poetry experience for the Route 66 Centennial. The exhibit will also feature artwork from local artists, historical information, object displays, memorabilia, and other elements.

The contest calls for people of any age to submit a rhymed poem celebrating the Centennial of Route 66; there’s no entry fee and case prizes are available for 1st to 5th place in two categories: folks age 17 and under and folks 18 and older. The deadline for submissions is December 13th, 2025.

“Since ROMP was founded in 2012, we've been a kind of unique and weird roadside attraction, so we think the museum fits right in to the Route 66 history,” said Shaun Perkins, executive director. “Many visitors have told us they were traveling Route 66 and took a slight detour to come check us out. We are happy to honor the centennial by putting up an exhibit on Route 66 and having this specially themed poetry contest. We hope to get some wonderful entries by December and some curious wayside travelers to the museum next year."

Locust Grove is about 40 minutes east of Catoosa, Oklahoma along the Highway 412 corridor that connects northwest Arkansas to northeast Oklahoma.

For evaluation guidelines, submission instructions, and more information visit the Rhyming on Route 66 page here. You can also follow along via their Facebook page here.