Official Rules & Selection Process - Be Mighty

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Official Rules & Selection Process

as of March 31, 2026

Overview

Be Mighty for Your Library is a national April 2026 activation celebrating National Poetry Month and the power of libraries through youth voice and community participation.

Public libraries apply to participate in this challenge. Selected libraries then implement the challenge locally, engaging youth in library actions and poetry creation. Final submissions are evaluated to identify three winning library communities. No purchase necessary to apply, participate, or be considered for an award.

Phase 1: Library Selection

Eligibility

  • Open to public libraries across the United States
  • Each applying library must designate a lead librarian/contact
  • Applications must be submitted by April 9, 2026

Selection of Pilot Libraries

  • A founding cohort of libraries will be selected to participate in the pilot challenge.
  • Selected libraries will be notified and publicly announced by April 10, 2026
  • Selection is conducted by the Kwame Alexander team, with input from partners

Selection Considerations:

  • Demonstrated ability to execute programming
  • Community reach and engagement potential
  • Geographic diversity

Phase 2: Challenge Implementation

Selected libraries will run the Be Mighty challenge in their communities throughout April.

The Three Actions + a Poem

Youth participants complete:

  • Any 3 of the 5 Be Mighty Actions, and
  • Submit a short poem

Be Mighty Actions (choose any 3):

  • Sign up for a library card
  • Use a library card
  • Check out a book from the library
  • Bring a friend or family member to the library
  • Attend a library event or storytime

Poetry Component:

Participants respond to prompts such as:

  • My library makes me feel…
  • My favorite place to read is…
  • Why libraries matter…

Guidelines:

  • 4–8 lines suggested
  • Younger participants may submit a sentence or a few words

Phase 3: Final Submission

All participating libraries must submit their results by:

April 25, 2026

Required Submission Fields

Library Information

  • Library name
  • Lead librarian name and email
  • City and state

Participation Data

  • Number of kids participating
  • Number of poems submitted
  • Number of The Mighty Macy holds and checkouts
  • Number of new library cards issued

Program Impact

  • Partner school nomination
  • Image of poetry wall or program display

Advocacy & Engagement Signals (if available)

  • Parent email sign-ups (EveryLibrary)
  • Social engagement or community stories

Important:
Submissions must be complete and accurate. Incomplete submissions may not be considered.

Judging Criteria

All participating libraries will be evaluated on:

1. Youth Engagement

  • Participation levels
  • Volume of poems submitted

2. Library Impact

  • New library card sign-ups
  • Book circulation and usage
  • Event attendance

3. Community Activation

  • Creativity of program execution
  • Engagement of families, schools, and partners

4. Strength of Story

  • Quality of submitted photos, poems, and narrative
  • Clear demonstration of youth voice and library impact

Please Note:
There is no fixed weighting. Libraries are evaluated holistically across all criteria.

Selection Process

  • Submissions will be reviewed by a joint selection committee from the Kwame Alexander team and EveryLibrary
  • The committee will begin reviewing submissions on a rolling basis starting April 20, 2026, and libraries are encouraged to submit early
  • All entries will first be reviewed for completeness and eligibility. The committee will then evaluate all qualifying submissions using the criteria above.

Final Selection

  • Three winning library communities will be selected
  • Winners will be finalized by April 26, 2026
  • All decisions are final. If a selected library community does not respond within 5 business days of notification, an alternate may be selected.

Awards

Be Mighty Community Literacy Awards

Each of the three winning library communities will receive:

  • One Word at a Time Author Study Season Pass (awarded to a nominated partner school)
  • The Mighty Macy video read by Kwame Alexander (1-year access)
  • $1000 donation split equally between the public and school library partner for future literacy programming
  • Press release recognition
  • Feature story in EveryLibrary’s Medium Magazine
  • Social media recognition across EveryLibrary and Kwame Alexander’s channels

Important: Awards are granted to the library community and its nominated partner school, not to individuals.

Participation & Integrity Guidelines

  • Each selected library may submit one official final report
  • All reported data must be accurate and reflect real participation
  • Any attempt to misrepresent participation or artificially inflate results may result in disqualification

Media & Content Use

By participating, libraries:

  • Grant permission for program partners to use submitted materials (photos, stories, data) for promotional and advocacy purposes
  • Confirm that they have obtained written parental or guardian consent for any photos, named student work, or identifying information submitted as part of their final report