St. Paul sidewalk poetry contest winners
On May 26, Mayor Carter announced the winners of the St. Paul Sidewalk Poetry Contest for 2023, a collaboration between the city, Public Art St. Paul (PASP), and St. Paul Almanac. The contest takes on special significance this year as it is the 15th anniversary of the Sidewalk Poetry Program, which is why 15 poems – three times the usual amount – were selected to be stamped into city sidewalks this summer.
The submissions featured from this year’s contest encompass the diversity of St. Paul, with poems in English, Hmong, Somali and Dakota. The winning poems will be stamped onto St. Paul sidewalks beginning this summer, with PASP working with the city’s Department of Public Works.
Sidewalk Poetry began as a way to create artistic expression out of a yearly city function – sidewalk maintenance. Sidewalk Poetry was created in 2008 through a partnership with Public Art St. Paul and former City Artist Marcus Young. The project was initially called “Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk.” Since its inception, 73 distinct poems – stamped over 1,200 times – have been embossed into sidewalks across the city.
For a full list of winners, and if you would like to see where there is Sidewalk Poetry near you, visit stpaul.gov/departments/public-works/sidewalks/sidewalk-poetry.
