Poetry & Polar Science
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Poetry & Polar Science
“Observation and imagination, the microscope and the metaphor, the sense of amazement—you need all of them to take the measure of a moment, of a life.” — Jane Hirshfield, poet and co-founder of Poets for Science
Scientists working in the Arctic and Antarctic are documenting some of the most rapid environmental changes on Earth. Through ice cores, ocean measurements, satellite imagery and ecological observation, they help us understand how polar regions are changing and why those changes matter. Poets work differently.
Through image, rhythm, metaphor, story and attention, poetry offers another way of engaging with a changing world. Poetry can linger with uncertainty, wonder, grief, beauty, contradiction, and imagination. It can ask questions that data alone cannot answer.
PRAx, Spring Creek Project and Terrain.org invite poets to create original poems in response to a selection of polar science papers from Oregon State University researchers. Participants are encouraged to read one or more of the featured papers and allow the research to spark creative inquiry.
What We Are Looking For
We welcome work that is curious, imaginative, surprising and attentive. Poems may engage with the science directly or indirectly. They may be personal, lyrical, narrative, experimental, contemplative, or playful. We are not seeking poems that explain science or summarize findings. Rather, we are interested in the conversations that emerge when scientific inquiry and poetic practice meet. You do not need to understand every detail of a paper to participate. A single image, question, observation, graph, or idea may be enough to inspire a poem. We encourage you to follow what captures your imagination.
Poems must be in conversation with one or more of the featured scientific papers listed below.
What We Offer
- Selected poems will be published in a series in Terrain.org and poets will receive $100 from Spring Creek Project for each selected piece.
- Selected poets may also be invited to participate in a public reading at PRAx on October 29, 2026. The event will feature readings and conversation between poets and researchers. PRAx will provide lodging on the night of the event, a travel stipend of up to $1,000 and dinner with polar researchers following the event. Participation in the event is optional and not required for eligibility.
Important Dates
- June 15, 2026: Submission window opens
- August 26, 2026: Submissions due
- September 15, 2026: Decisions announced
- October 29, 2026: Selected poems will be featured in a public reading at PRAx, with select poets invited to read with scientists. Poets do not need to be available on this date to be eligible.
Submission Requirements
- Submit 1 to 3 original poems in response to the papers listed above.
- No AI-generated or edited work will be accepted.
- Combine all poems into a single document that contains only the poem title(s), poem(s) and scientific paper(s) that inspired the poem(s). Do not include the author name or contact information in the document, including in the header/footer.
- Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but previously published material in any format, including blogs or social media, will not be considered.
- Submissions can be withdrawn through the submission system. Individual components of submissions (i.e., a single poem in a poem set) may be withdrawn by sending a message through Submittable.
How to Submit Poems
In addition to contact information, applicants will be asked to provide:
- A brief bio.
- Up to three poems in a single document. The document should include only the poem title(s), poem(s), and the scientific paper(s) that inspired them. Do not include your name or contact information anywhere in the document, including in headers or footers.
- The title(s) of the scientific paper(s) from the list above that inspired your poem(s).
- A short statement (250 words or fewer) describing what draws you to polar environments and what inspired your response to the paper(s) you selected.
Review & Selection
A review committee will select awardees.
Featured Scientific Papers
The following papers explore ancient atmospheres preserved in ice, glaciers that crack and sing, microscopic algae living beneath sea ice, seabirds crossing oceans, and whales navigating vast migratory routes. We invite you to spend time with one or more of these studies and allow the research to spark creative inquiry.
Alongside each paper, we've suggested a few possible entry points. These are not prompts or requirements—simply invitations. You may find inspiration elsewhere in the paper: a graph, photograph, phrase, question, method, or idea that captures your imagination.
Deep Time - Miocene and Pliocene Ice and Air from the Allan Hills Blue Ice Area, East Antarctica
Deep beneath Antarctica’s surface, ice preserves tiny bubbles of ancient atmosphere. This study examines ice and air dating back millions of years, offering rare glimpses into climates that existed long before humans. The research invites us to imagine what Earth’s atmosphere once held and what stories ancient ice can tell.
Possible Entry Points: deep time, memory, ancient air, archives, planetary history, extinction, breath
Read the paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2502681122
Lost Worlds - Antarctic Surface Temperature and Elevation During the Last Glacial Maximum
How cold was Antarctica during the last ice age? Using evidence preserved in ice cores, scientists reconstructed the climate and landscape of Antarctica roughly 20,000 years ago. The study reveals a continent both familiar and profoundly different from the one we know today.
Possible Entry Points: lost worlds, reconstruction, memory, ice ages, imagination, climate, change
Read the paper in Science: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.abd2897
Listening to Ice - Unusually Loud Ambient Noise in Tidewater Glacier Fjords: A Signal of Ice Melt
Glacier fjords are surprisingly noisy places. This study discovered that melting glacier ice generates underwater sounds that can transform the acoustic landscape of a fjord. The research invites us to consider how environmental change can be heard as well as seen.
Possible Entry Points: sound and silence, listening, melting, hidden processes, transformation
Read the paper in Geophysical Research Letters: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014GL062950
Fracture - Rapid Fragmentation of Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf
The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is undergoing rapid change. This study documents the formation and growth of fractures across the glacier’s eastern ice shelf, revealing a landscape that is breaking apart and reshaping itself in real time.
Possible Entry Points: fracture, thresholds, instability, resilience, transformation, collapse
Read the paper in The Cryosphere: https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/2545/2022/tc-16-2545-2022.html
Life Beneath Ice - The Contribution of Ice Algae to the Winter Energy Budget of Juvenile Antarctic Krill in Years With Contrasting Sea Ice Conditions
Beneath Antarctic sea ice, microscopic algae form an important source of food for young krill during the dark winter months. This study explores the hidden connections between ice, algae and one of the species that helps sustain the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
Possible Entry Points: hidden worlds, nourishment, winter, dependence, survival, abundance
Read the paper in ICES Journal of Marine Science: https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/76/1/206/5138278
Arctic Drift - Overview of the MOSAiC Expedition: Snow and Sea Ice
In 2019, scientists intentionally froze a research vessel into Arctic sea ice and drifted across the Arctic Ocean for an entire year. This paper describes one of the largest polar research expeditions ever undertaken and explores the changing nature of Arctic snow and sea ice.
Possible Entry Points: drifting, observation, endurance, winter, exploration
Read the paper in Elementa: https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article/10/1/000046/119791
Ocean Journeys - Breeding Thin-Billed Prions Use Marine Habitats Ranging from Inshore to Distant Antarctic Waters
Thin-billed prions travel remarkable distances across the Southern Ocean while raising their young. This study follows their movements from coastal waters to remote Antarctic habitats, revealing lives shaped by wind, weather, and ocean currents.
Possible Entry Points: migration, distance, navigation, parenting, ocean journeys
Read the paper in Animals: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/22/3131
Invisible Travelers - Mercury Contamination and Potential Health Risks to Arctic Seabirds and Shorebirds
Mercury released by human activities can travel vast distances through the atmosphere before accumulating in Arctic ecosystems. This study examines contamination in seabirds and shorebirds, revealing how pollutants move through food webs and into some of the planet’s most remote places.
Possible Entry Points: interconnection, contamination, migration, invisibility
Read the paper in Science of the Total Environment (to view the article, click on "View Open Manuscript" at the top of the page): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722040414
Long Migration - First Description of Migratory Behavior of Humpback Whales from an Antarctic Feeding Ground to a Tropical Calving Ground
Each year, humpback whales undertake extraordinary migrations between Antarctic feeding grounds and tropical breeding waters. This study follows that journey, revealing one of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom and highlighting the remarkable navigational abilities of these marine giants.
Possible Entry Points: migration, homecoming, navigation, endurance, memory
Read the paper in Animal Biotelemetry: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40317-021-00266-8