Kansans are invited to enter an essay contest explaining how their favorite poetry influenced their lives.

Sponsored by the Overland Park-based publisher Uhlig LLC, the Kansas poet laureate, the Kansas Humanities Council and the Kansas Press Association, the Poetry Unites Kansas contest asks each participant to explain in 600 words why a favorite poem is important to the participant. Five nationally known poets and writers will judge the contest, according to a press release announcing the contest. The deadline to enter is April 28.

Each essay should state the name of the entrant’s favorite poem, the author of the poem, when the entrant first read the work and why the poem is important to the essay writer. Entrants are also to write what their days look like, what their dreams are and what they expect from life.

Winners will be featured in short documentary films screened in Kansas City, Mo., and New York City later this year. To learn more about the contest, visit poetryunites.com.