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Poetry.com Contest Summary & Results

Congratulations to the winners of the Poetry.com January 2023 monthly contest. There were 150 poems submitted to the contest — thank you to everyone who entered and participated!

Winners By popular vote



Runners-up



Nominees By random order


Share your thoughts about the January 2023 Contest with the community:

9 Comments
  • Simeon5
    Thank you for this platform that I can get back to, now and again, as time allows within a life that yet has to slow down.
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • lovingempath
    Congratulations to all the winners! And I'm happy to say that I find myself in excellent company with the 'non-winners' this month :). I will re-fold my 'acceptance speech' (the one that includes my parents sacrifices...and thanks my English teacher from the 5th grade)...shove it back into the top drawer of my desk and hopefully be able to use it before it turns into a miserable pile of dust. p.s...I forgot to add the 'pre-ramble' for my comment below. I meant to say "If you ever need advice on how to 'lose' a competition...follow my advice" :). I'll see you all soon. And again...well deserved wins this month. Congratulations!. 
    LikeReply 21 year ago
  • DaveCronkBuffalo
    When attempting to submit poems for the monthly contest, I'm prevented from submitting poems I've added to the page at an earlier date, receiving an error code suggesting that a poem of the same name already exists. Isn't it stated clearly that you can submit poems for the monthly contest already submitted to the page? Perhaps I'm missing something... 
    LikeReply1 year ago
    • lovingempath
      Hi Dave...as far as I know, you're not allowed to re-enter poems; but I might be wrong. Please let me know if you find that you can...I might try that myself :).
      LikeReply1 year ago
    • DaveCronkBuffalo
      I'm not attempting to re-enter a poem for the contest. I'm attempting to enter a poem I've written and shared to poetry.com, not intended to be entered into the contest, but later determined by me to be contest worthy. Basically the poems from my own collection on poetry.com. 
      LikeReply 11 year ago
    • lovingempath
      oh...never mind then :)
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • DaveCronkBuffalo
    The final day of judging. All the best to the many entrants. Having created something with confidence in your ability to share it with the world is a victory in itself. Be proud.
    LikeReply 41 year ago
  • lovingempath
    I would like to add a thought here. : When people are judging your work, I think they are looking for something beyond the random page torn from a journal of lost love; when you had your first heart-break...unless you can bring something new to the table. We all have a million personal 'heart-aches/breaks'. I'm always searching for a deeper way to describe how to express that through poetry. I'm always looking for that perfect poem that captures that true essence of 'grief'...something I've never been able to capture perfectly myself. I'm also personally captivated by someone being able to breath life into an otherwise; inanimate object or situation. Those are just a few random thoughts I felt like sharing...take it or leave it :). All thoughts are my best intentions to help fellow poets excel in future contests. 
    LikeReply 31 year ago
  • dougb.21370
    So many thought webs to consider. Does the contest end up largely a random thing. Or will enough paddling poets take the time and interest to review the precious works of many. Hope so, and Administrators as well. 
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • lovingempath
      Hi Doug, I think you bring up a good point; with 'random' being the key word. I personally think a lot of things need to be considered, but mainly: How many participating poets actually take the time to read all of the rich submissions. And at the same time, which poems hit their exact emotional level at the time (I could go on and on). I trust the Administrators, and don't believe there is any cheating going on in that arena. You're an excellent poet, but once in a while even the most excellent poems don't always hit the mark, when judgement time comes. I wish all participants actually DID take the time to analyze every aspect of every poem. If I don't personally take the time to do that; I often go back and find some gems I left behind. Good luck this month :). 
      LikeReply 11 year ago
    • DaveCronkBuffalo
      Though I chose to read each submission, I can easily see others skimming through and not paying attention to each piece.
      LikeReply1 year ago
    • lovingempath
      I admit that if a poem is poorly constructed or doesn't capture me right from the beginning...I might skim to the end to see if there are some redeeming qualities about the submission. But when entering a competition with this many brilliant poets...the odds of being 'pinned' are low. 
      LikeReply 31 year ago
  • jerrylogie
    I entered a poem called 'Wings of Love' and paid the 25 dollar entry fee Of which I have conformation email from Stands and PayPal. I saw my entry listed on summary page 2 weeks ago but now when I look (4 times), I can no longer find my entry. What's up with that? 
    LikeReply1 year ago
    • anchor8hopes
      This can happen because the page is not updated immediately. They seem to confirm your poem submission later on. I was very startled at first too. Your poem seems to be up now, if you have not noticed. So, no worries and good luck! :) 
      LikeReply 11 year ago
    • anchor8hopes
      I apologize for misreading your comment. That does seem strange but anyhow, your poem submission is listed now. Maybe it was a lag?
      LikeReply 11 year ago
    • jerrylogie
      Thank you...
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • bevgeorge
    Thank you!!
    LikeReply 11 year ago
  • bevgeorge
    Please send me the link when voting starts.
    LikeReply1 year ago
    • acronimous
      Hi! All official participants will be notified via email when voting starts. In addition, this contest summary page will include a link to the voting page as well. Good luck!
      LikeReply 21 year ago
    • DaveCronkBuffalo
      I didn't receive confirmation voting began, but was provided the option when going on the site and searching for the voting link.
      LikeReply1 year ago

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Our monthly contest

In a nutshell…

Opens: 1st of every calendar month.
Closes: End of every calendar month.
Results: Within 7 days of closing.
Entry fee: 25 USD.
Max. participants: 150 entries.
Prizes:
First Place Badge + 500
Second Place Badge + 300
Third Place Badge + 200
5 Runners-up Personalized Mug
POTY Badge + 1,000

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 What people are saying

“Thank you for the wonderful gift that I received as a runner up for the January contest. The competition has inspired me to go and get my collection of poetry that I have written for my family — you are an amazing group!”

Janette Marais, South Africa

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We’re delighted to announce that we've been named one of best writing contests for 2022 and 2023 by Reedsy!

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