Fifteen winning poems will become permanent works of public art across Saint Paul sidewalks
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Public Art Saint Paul (PASP) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Sidewalk Poetry Contest, celebrating the creativity, diversity, and voices of Saint Paul residents. Selected from 188 submissions, fifteen poems will soon be stamped into newly repaired sidewalks throughout the city, transforming everyday pathways into places of reflection, connection, and discovery.
Since its launch in 2008 by former Public Art Saint Paul City Artist Marcus Young as Everyday Poems for City Sidewalks, Sidewalk Poetry has reimagined Saint Paul’s annual sidewalk maintenance program as a platform for public art. In partnership with the City of Saint Paul’s Public Works Department, poems are permanently stamped into fresh concrete as sidewalks are repaired across the city.
Today, the collection includes 102 poems and more than 1,400 sidewalk stamps, ensuring every Saint Paul resident lives within a 10-minute walk of a Sidewalk Poem. What began as an innovative public art experiment has become a defining feature of the city’s cultural landscape, engendering moments of surprise, contemplation, and shared experience.
The 2026 contest, presented in partnership with the Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD), invited Saint Paul residents of all ages and experience levels to respond to the theme Water, inspired by the CRWD’s We Are Water exhibit. Writers were encouraged to explore water’s personal, environmental, cultural, and symbolic meanings through poems of 200–300 characters.
Reflecting the many communities that call Saint Paul home, submissions were accepted in Dakota, Hmong, Karen, Somali, Spanish, and English. The multilingual approach continues PASP’s commitment to ensuring the city’s public spaces celebrate the cultures and languages that strengthen Saint Paul.
We proudly present the publicly announced winning poets:
Read the selected poems here: https://publicartstpaul.org/project/poetry/#2026-selected-poems
The winning poems will be installed during the sidewalk concreate replacement season, becoming permanent works of public art woven into the city’s infrastructure.
Important Update: Translations of Poems Available Soon
Awarded non-English language poem stamps will integrate a QR code to access their translations in English. We are privileged to enable interlinguistic and cross-cultural understanding among Saint Paul residents.
The 2026 Sidewalk Poetry Contest was made possible by the generous support of the Capitol Region Watershed District.
About Sidewalk Poetry
Sidewalk Poetry is a systems-based public art project that transforms Saint Paul’s sidewalk replacement program into an opportunity for artistic expression. By integrating poetry directly into public infrastructure, the program enables residents to encounter literature in their daily lives, while strengthening connections between neighborhoods, languages, places, and communities.
The 2026 Sidewalk Poetry Contest was led by Sidewalk Poetry Manager Youa Vang, whose stewardship guided this year’s multilingual program from launch through selection. Reflecting Saint Paul’s rich cultural and linguistic diversity, the jury featured Šišóka Dúta (Dakota), Marian Hassan (Somali), Teresa Ortiz (Spanish), June Way (Karen), and Youa Vang (Hmong) each bringing invaluable cultural and literary perspectives to the review process.
About Public Art Saint Paul
Public Art Saint Paul creates artworks and experiences that connect artists, communities, and city systems to imagine and shape a more equitable and vibrant Saint Paul. Through collaborative public art initiatives, PASP fosters civic engagement, cultural expression, and creative placemaking across the city.
Media Contact:
Mohannad Ghawanmenh
Public Art Saint Paul
mohannad@publicartstpaul.org
(651) 290-0921