Sonnet
Boom
Love Poems for Miami
Sonnet Boom is a citywide poetry celebration inviting Miamians of all ages to share short love poems to the place we call home – celebrating belonging, joy, resilience, and the many voices of this city.
Inspired by the long tradition of the sonnet – from Shakespeare to today – this initiative asked a simple question: what do you love about Miami?
Submissions are now closed. We’re deeply grateful for the extraordinary response and the hundreds of poems shared with us.
Meet our Finalists and winners below! Winning poems will be showcased across Miami – on buildings, bridges, and screens – and finalists will take the stage for a live public reading during National Poetry Month 2026.
Sonnet Boom Winners 2026
1st
JOHN SMITH
DESIGNER – CORAL GABLES
READ POEM
2nd
JOHN SMITH
DESIGNER – CORAL GABLES
READ POEM
3rd
JOHN SMITH
DESIGNER – CORAL GABLES
READ POEM
1st
JOHN SMITH
DESIGNER – CORAL GABLES
READ POEM
2nd
JOHN SMITH
DESIGNER – CORAL GABLES
READ POEM
3rd
JOHN SMITH
DESIGNER – CORAL GABLES
READ POEM
Sonnet Boom Finalists
Clayre Benzadón
Poet, Educator and Activist
READ POEM
David Rolland
Writer
MIami Beach
READ POEM
Elisa Albo
Poet and writer
Fort Lauderdale
READ POEM
Glenda Galan
Writer and Journalist
Miami
READ POEM
Glenn Hutchinson
Writer and Teacher at FIU
Miami
READ POEM
Jill McDonough
UMass-Boston’s MFA Program Director
Three-time Pushcart prize winner
READ POEM
Manny Saints
Writer
Allapattah
READ POEM
Michael J. Ivory, Jr.
MFA North Carolina State University
Philadelphia
READ POEM
Naya Quintana
Writer and Poet
Hialeah
READ POEM
Nyah Hardmon
Award winning Poet
READ POEM
Ulisse B
4th Grade
Coconut Grove elementary
READ POEM
Naika P
5th Grade
Morningside K-8 Academy
READ POEM
Deison P
7th Grade
Mater Academy
READ POEM
Nadine Y
8th Grade
Miami Arts Charter School
READ POEM
Olivia V
8th Grade
Miami Arts Charter School
READ POEM
Andrea S
10th Grade
The Cushman Highschool
READ POEM
Ava N
Shophomore
Ransom Everglades School
READ POEM
Ella B
11th Grade
Ramson Everglades School
READ POEM
Wilber P
12th grade
G. Holmes Braddock Senior High
READ POEM
Eitan D
2027 Grade
Miami Country Day School
READ POEM
“Cities belong to the people who live in them. Sonnet Boom places that ownership into the public square.”
— Kim Coupounas, CEO, Elevate Cities
What Is Sonnet Boom?
Sonnet Boom is not just a poetry contest – it is a civic activation designed to bring poems into the fabric of Miami.
Through this initiative, love poems to the city move beyond the page and into public life, appearing across buildings, bridges, and shared spaces, and culminating in live readings during National Poetry Month.
All submissions were reviewed by a distinguished panel of Miami-based literary leaders.
The Contest
- Open to both youth and adult poets
- No entry fees
- Cash awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each categoryegory.
Distinguished Panel
- Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County
- Catherine Esposito Prescott, Co-Founder, SWWIM
- Caroline Cabrera, Co-Executive Director, O, Miami
- Richard Blanco, inaugural Poet Laureate of Miami-Dade County
- Fabienne Josaphat, author, poet and translator