Doodle Poetry Contest 2026

October is an incredible month because it is both Spooktober AND Inktober! If you love poetry and want to experiment with your artistic side, or perhaps you already love to doodle, then this is the contest for you! This doodle poetry contest will last until the end of October, on October 31st.

So, what is the doodle poetry contest?

For this contest, you must create a poem and doodle based on an Inktober 2026 prompt. Now, what exactly qualifies as a 'poem and doodle', you may be asking. This could be many things: a hand-drawn picture, digital art, something simple, or complicated. It can be in classic black ink, or full of colour. The aim of this contest is to write a poem and create an art piece with the same theme.

Here are the prompts to choose from:

To enter:
1- Create your poem and doodle
2- Either publish it on YWS, post it to your NaPo Week Thread, or post it in this thread. If posting outside of this thread, please provide a link below.
3- The winner of this event will be decided by a vote by participants and site members! After the contest concludes, there will be an anonymous voting period done by private message. More information will be provided near the end of the month.
4- Then, the winners will be announced!

Prizes:
1st place- 750 points!
2nd place- 500 points
3rd place- 200 points
Honourable mentions will receive 50 points

I stake my claim

I have my poem! I just haven't finished my doodle yet.

Spoiler

Toss.
Smack
Toss.
Smack
Toss.
Boom

A white-taped rifle flies through air.
Rotating over and over.
Then it hits the ground.

Boom

The color guard groans.
Picks it up with bruised hands.
Then flings again.

Toss.
Smack

The rifle hits bruised hands.
They fling it again.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.

Boom

They fling it again.

All they know is,
Toss.
Smack
Boom

All they have is plums for hands.
All they gain is broken ankles.
All they give is beautiful visuals.

No one knows the price of those synced flags.
No one knows the price of each achieved toss.
No one knows the price of each leap and twist.

Toss.
Smack
Toss.
Smack
Toss.

Boom

Doodle!

Spoiler

Don't mind the pen or the big red splotch on the side... My pen wasn't working and I needed to test colors but I had limited paper. So the color guard is supposed to be kinda flaking away around the edges but it looks really weird in the picture and you can't tell.

One of the these themes will work beautifully with what I had in mind for my last poem of the NaPo week..

Edit: nvm, I couldn't fit it in the song XD

"CACTUS" is calling to me <.<

Heres my entry. Not my best piece but oh well
GANGLY (Doodle Poetry Contest 2026)

@EllieMae question- how much intertwined do the doodle and poem need to be? Can the poem mention the object in passing or does it need to be the central theme?

@AlexWrites I would say that as long as the poem mentions the prompt, or even connects to it in some way, it counts. You do not need to have it as the central theme or even use the word directly, as long as the prompt is the inspiration behind it. Just creating a doodle and poem that is inspired by the prompt is the main idea, so no worries about whether it is related enough!

@EllieMae thank you for the clarification, now I know exactly which poems I'll be drawing for =)

prompt: apple (of my eye)

Spoiler

Inspired lines:
"The apple of my honey eyes
I'm Newton & you fell from sky"
Poem: IV. Communication (Phases of Love, Apothecary Poetry Collection)

prompt: toss

Spoiler

Related lines (luck):
"But picking at my petal, it's settled
I'll play this crushing game"
Poem: I. Infatuation (Phases of Love, Apothecary Poetry Collection)

Spoiler

Related line (wager):
"I am, betting on you, love"
Poem: V. Intimacy (Phases of Love, Apothecary Poetry Collection)