It delights me that the American Mathematical society links math and poetry by sponsoring a student poetry contest each year. AMS recently announced this year's winners (along with videos of the winning poems) -- and I offer samples of the winning poems (from college, high school, and middle school students) below:
from "Proof" by Emilynne Newsom, Harvey Mudd College
There's a practice you will see in math.
It is a way of showing what is true.
In steady step-by-step it lays a path
from what you know to what you seek to prove. (Find the rest here.)
from "Homeric Simile ... " by Samanyu Ganesh, The Westminster Schools
Just as the sea otters grasp each others' paws
whilst sleeping, latently
basking in the stillness of their moonlit sanctuary, drifting
assuredly . . . (Find the rest of this poem here.)
from "forever" by Nora McKinstry, Edmond Heights, K-12
a mobius strip is a never ending loop a
forever-going cycle of one small strip
but still it goes on and on
impossible to stop but easily created . . . (Find the rest here.)
The winners page also lists students who earned "honorable mention" and offers information and poetry from prior contests.
This link leads to a page including links to videos of the winning poets reading their winning poems. Clicking on the link to "Order a free 2025 poster" leads to visibility of a printed version of the complete winning poems -- in the junior high, senior high and college divisions.
The AMS Poetry Contest entry submission deadline this year was February 2 . .. next January, 2026, would be a good time for teachers -- middle school, high school, college -- to encourage students to create and enter poems in next year's contest.
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Math and poetry—what a beautiful fusion of logic and lyricism! These young voices remind us that creativity and intellect can absolutely coexist.
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