Thank you for participating in the 2023 Summer Contests sponsored by the Poetry Society of Vermont. This year we received 180 entries, a record number. Many of our judges remarked on the quality of the poetry and the difficulty of selecting winners. The winning poems are listed below, along with the names of the poets. Also included are the winners of the Davis and Peach awards; these awards are given for the best poem in the current issue of The Mountain Troubadour.
Yours in Poetry, Juliana Anderson, Contest Co-Chair Carol Milkuhn, PSOV Vice President
Carol and Arnold Abelson Award Judge: Baron Wormser Winner: The Sparrows of Mariupol by Philip Coleman Second Place: Judged by Judith Janoo
Mary Margaret Audette Memorial Award Judge: April Ossmann Winner: Word Salad by Matthew Dickerson Honorable Mention: Eve Sues Apple for Trademark Infringement by Sarah Snyder
J. Richard Barry Memorial Award Judge: Sydney Lea Winner: This Poem Wants a Home by Sarah Snyder Honorable Mention: The Black Van by Judith Janoo
Marian Gleason Memorial Award Judge: Angela Patten Winner: The One at the Wheel by Mary Donnelly Honorable Mention: Gambling by Cindy Hill
Goldstein Memorial Award Judge: Dianalee Velie Winner: Liberty New York 1977 by Cindy Hill Honorable Mention: Fran’s Hands by Mary Donnelly
Laura J. Spooner Memorial Award Judge: Nancy Richardson Winner: Spring by Ann Cooper Honorable Mention: Still There by Sarah Snyder
Chris White Memorial Award Judge: Neil Shephard Winner: The Biopsy by Cindy Hill Honorable Mention: Wanting to Defy Gravity by Sarah Snyder
The Corinne Eastman Davis Award and the Arthur Wallace Peach Memorial Award are given for the best poem in the current issue of The Mountain Troubadour.Click on the links to read the winning poems.
The 2023 Sundog Poetry Book Award for a first or second book of poetry is now open for submissions to any poet residing in Vermont. Manuscripts should be between 48 and 64 pages long.
The winning manuscript will be published with our partners at Green Writers Press. The winning poet will receive 50 copies of the book, a cash prize, and promotional support through a book launch event.
For more information about the Vermont Poet Laureate position, criteria and selection process, and the online nomination form, visit the Vermont Poet Laureate webpage.
With less than three weeks away from the August 12th Summer Generative Writing Festivalthere is still time to register (now closed) and enjoy a day of poetry featuring Kerrin McCadden as the Guiding Poet.
