The 2025 Summer Contests & Troubadour Awards results are now in. There were a total of 259 submissions of wonderful poetry. We had nine outstanding judges (2 for the Davis & Peach Troubadour Awards & 7 Summer Contest judges) who all expressed pleasure and honor at reading these wonderful poems. They mentioned the difficulty in choosing a winner and honorary mention because of the excellent writing. There were a few snafus with the length of poems, duplications and formatting but nothing was insurmountable. PSOV thanks all the poets for their beautiful words and participation that made the summer contests a great success. We are grateful for the professional judges who gave of their time for the PSOV Summer Contests & Troubadour Awards. It is our pleasure to announce the winners listed below.
Troubadour Awards:*
Corrine Eastman Davis Memorial Award~Judge: Chard DeNiord
Winner: Cotton by Cindy Ellen Hill
Honorable Mention: Joseph and Roy by daithi’
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Arthur Wallace Peach Memorial Award~Judge: Samn Stockwell
Winner: Mortal Coil by CD Williams
Honorable Mention: After the Deluge by Mathew Dickerson
Summer Contests:
J. Barry Richardson Memorial Award~Judge: Sean Prentiss
Winner: The Process by J.T. Butler
Honorary Mention: Heron’s Hymn by Ivy Schweitzer
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Laura J. Spooner Memorial Award~Judge: Angela Patten
Winner: Love Song by Judith Janoo
Honorary Mention: A Crow That Can’t Be Rescued by Elizabeth R. McCarthy
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Goldstein Memorial Award~Judge: April Ossmann
Winner: Mother’s Last Words by Kristine Korman
Honorary Mention: The Night Splinter’s by Samantha Kolber
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Chris White Memorial Award~Judge: Dianalee Velie
Winner: Wrath of Totality by Ivy Schweitzer
Honorable Mention: Point Nemo by The Character We Are
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Marion Gleason Memorial Award~Judge: James Morehead
Winner: Before – During – After by Kathryn Bonnez
Honorable Mention: Heron Dancer by Karen Ruth Richardson
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Carol and Arnold Abelson Award~Judge: Nancy Richardson
Winner: Taps for Private Ryans by Damon Piletz
Honorable Mention: In Prague by Ann Cooper
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Mary Margarette Audette Award~Judge: Geof Hewitt
Winner: Saying Goodbye by Nancy Gordon
Honorable Mention: Spring Fling by Judith Janoo
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*Troubadour Awards are not Summer Contests, they are poems selected from the current Mountain Troubadour. They will not be reprinted in the Troubadour but will receive special mention in the next edition of TMT and will be published on the PSOV Website.
the Poetry Society of Vermont Executive Board