In the world of sexual health, messages about protection are usually framed clinically. Think charts, checklists, and awkward high school lectures. But what if the conversation around intimacy could be more personal, more human, even…poetic?
That’s the idea behind ONE® Condoms’ nationwide poetry contest, a refreshing campaign that invites people to explore and express what intimacy, consent, and connection mean to them through verse.
It’s not just a quirky marketing gimmick. The initiative is deeply rooted in wellness: emotional wellness, sexual wellness, and even societal wellness. By creating space for honest, creative dialogue around sex, the contest aims to dismantle stigma and center voices often left out of traditional sex-ed conversations, particularly those from LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.
A Safe Space to Be Vulnerable
The open-call format encourages participants of all backgrounds to reflect on themes like desire, identity, boundaries, and joy. Submissions can range from playful haikus to raw free verse, offering a mosaic of how people navigate intimacy in the real world, not just in textbooks or ad campaigns.
For many writers, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, the contest offers more than a creative outlet. It’s a space where vulnerability is not only accepted but celebrated and a chance to reframe sexuality through their own lens, on their own terms.
When Condoms Carry a Message
Selected poems aren’t just published online; they will be printed directly onto condom wrappers. That means the next time someone reaches for protection, they might also receive a gentle reminder of what intimacy can look like: thoughtful, mutual, and meaningful.
It’s a powerful shift in how we talk about protection. Not as something that interrupts pleasure, but as something that supports it. And it aligns perfectly with wellness values: informed choices, emotional safety, and self-respect.
Reclaiming the Narrative Around Sex
In a country where sex ed is still spotty and shame-laced, this campaign offers something rare—an open, inclusive conversation. By pairing art with advocacy, ONE challenges the idea that discussions about sex have to be clinical or uncomfortable.
Instead, it invites participants to speak honestly and listen deeply to themselves, to each other, and to the stories that often go untold.
How to Join In
U.S. residents over 18 are invited to submit poems by July 31. Winners receive a cash prize, and select pieces will appear on limited-edition wrappers, sharing their message with the world in an unexpectedly intimate way.
At its heart, the contest isn’t about rhyme or meter. It’s about reclaiming space—for pleasure, for safety, and for the deeply personal poetry of being human.
