Contest »

Poetry.com Contest Summary & Results

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

Winners By popular vote

500

1st Place

300

2nd Place

200

3rd Place



Runners-up



Nominees By random order


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

19 Comments
  • noelanthony1204
    Please read My Life and Poetry memoir on Amazon .. 19 poems, only 55 pages with links ... Noel
    LikeReply10 months ago
  • noelanthony1204
    I don't trust the judgemental of your poetry contest -- I read the winning poem was ok, simple but my poem F-R-I-E-N-D-S was more unique .. your judgement is selfish and untrustworthy ..
    LikeReply10 months ago
    • lovingempath
      I read your poem Noel; and I agree that it is 'unique'. But to question the integrity of the site and the other contestant's judgement isn't cool. Maybe this poem of yours just didn't connect with the other participants this month. Try again! 
      LikeReply 210 months ago
    • noelanthony1204
      thank you ... Noel
      LikeReply 210 months ago
    • FLi
      Hi Noel, good day! If there are 2 things that are common among all of us here in this community, that would be our love for poetry and our ability to create our own poems.

      This competition grants all of us the chance to read everyone's work and cast a vote to that one poem that we love the most. Our preferences differ from one another.

      Let's make this place a good one that would keep running by respecting the majority's choice. :)
       
      LikeReply 310 months ago
    • Jewoo525
      Dear Noel,

      Congratulations on writing a fantastic poem and submitting an excellent entry for the April contest. I throughly enjoyed reading your entry and actually pinned it as one of my top contenders for my vote.

      Despite loving your poem very much (and many others), I don’t think I would be able to say that my subjective and personal opinion could constitute a proper definition for what makes a “good” or “better” poem. There are metrics we all can use as provided in the evaluation guide available to all competitors, but at the end of the day we all only get one vote and are limited to one vote. In that sense, it is indeed a very selfish system- but, “selfishly fair” to all competitors as I like to call it.

      I know this competition format may be frustrating when it feels like your work isn’t being recognized, especially when not everyone reads every poem (which I think should be a part of the competition rules), but that would not be appropriate grounds to scrutinize the competition and this month’s winning poem.

      Imagine how you would feel when your poem had won and someone else devalues your achievement on the same grounds that you are presenting here, you would feel disrespected and discouraged.

      I sympathize with you. But we all know what we’re getting into here. If you still feel the same way, you are always free to not compete the next month. You seem like a talented poet, please don’t be discouraged and please keep writing! I look forward to reading your future poems.
       
      LikeReply 310 months ago
    • noelanthony1204
      yes, I agree we do have a fun platform to create and share our love of poetry .. there are many excellent poems here for sure .. I read some poems but not all and believe we are all winners ... grateful for your reply ... Noel 
      LikeReply 210 months ago
    • noelanthony1204
      very true opinion of what constitutes a great poem with so many talented Poets on this poetry site for sure and I respect everyone's work and creativity ... scrambling words together among the millions that turns into a rhythm, rhyming message is a true gift in itself .. thank you for your reply .. Noel 
      LikeReply 310 months ago
    • noelanthony1204
      please read My Life and Poetry memoir on Amazon .. Noel
      LikeReply10 months ago
    • noelanthony1204
      please read My Life and Poetry on Amazon .. Noel
      LikeReply10 months ago
  • dougb.19255
    Please show full poet names at every stage of the Contest and Voting.
    No harm will come of this, only more intelligent and participatory reading and selection. Showing simply writers’ initials before the vote is simply missing best process and community import…Wayne Blair 
    LikeReply10 months ago
    • lovingempath
      I personally don't think this is a good idea Doug. I'm not sure that even showing a poets initials is a good idea. I think the poem itself should come without attachments to friendships or personal biases toward other participants. That's just my own opinion. 
      LikeReply 210 months ago
  • Jewoo525
    Congratulations everyone! Looking forward to next month.
    LikeReply 310 months ago
  • ljsanders
    Well done to everyone who entered.
    LikeReply 210 months ago
  • lovingempath
    Congratulations to the winners!
    LikeReply 210 months ago
  • DaveCronkBuffalo
    I enjoyed reading each of the 150 entries. You've all got a great deal to be proud of! I hope my entry The New Day is enjoyed, appreciated, and perhaps passed on to others beyond this site. We're fortunate to have this venue to fortify our abilities as writers and share our work with other aspiring poets.
    Best wishes to all,
    DC
     
    LikeReply 410 months ago
  • lovingempath
    It's always a treat to go back and review some of the poetry submitted by other poets that may not have been recognized each month. I just went back and reviewed Johnathan Stratton's submission last month 'Dead Man's Clothes' and ran into an entire goldmine of poetry from his collection. Well worth my time. :). 
    LikeReply 310 months ago
  • lovingempath
    It looks like another intriguing month by these titles! I can't wait to see what is hidden behind them. Good luck to everyone!
    LikeReply 410 months ago
  • ljsanders
    Hi- I have paid for and submitted a poem yesterday, but it is not on the summary page with the other entries for April ...please could you say what is happening? Has it been approved and if so why haven't I heard yet... ?only 5 days to go before voting starts!. Laura Sanders.( L.S). 
    LikeReply10 months ago
    • FLi
      Hi there, sometimes it would actually take around a few days before your poem gets approved since they review each entry carefully. I myself had experienced that exact same scenario. But no worries, they ensure all eligible entries are in before the voting starts. :) 
      LikeReply 210 months ago
    • ljsanders
      hi Fli- thanks for getting back to me... I am from the U.K so I was a bit worried about my submission, as most entrants seem to be from USA. Hopefully i'll see it posted up, before the voting starts!
      LikeReply 210 months ago
    • ljsanders
      thanks Fli- I will look out for it!
      LikeReply 210 months ago
    • lovingempath
      I see an LS poem...is it yours?
      LikeReply 110 months ago
  • SOFIAATSALI
    Hello!!! I payed my entry but i do not see my participation here ..
    My poem is called'' a surprise''
    LikeReply10 months ago
    • Jewoo525
      They need to review your poem and then approve your entry manually. I'm sure the staff are still reviewing it and will approve your poem soon!
      LikeReply 310 months ago
    • lovingempath
      I think I see it Sofia...check again. :)
      LikeReply10 months ago
    • SOFIAATSALI
      yes i know now they have addit thanku
      LikeReply 110 months ago
  • Lynntrunzo256
    It says my poem miss you my brother was nominated for the contest but it’s not showing
    LikeReply11 months ago
    • acronimous
      Hello, it appears that no payment has been received for this nomination. If you have made a payment, please contact me so that we can investigate the matter. Thank you!
      LikeReply 110 months ago
    • Lynntrunzo256
      I applied for the whatever it was so I didn’t have to pay because I am only on disability and didn’t have the money to pay
      LikeReply10 months ago
    • acronimous
      I understand. Our policy allows for up to five free submissions per month that are selected towards the end of the application period. However, we receive a significant number of inquiries, so the chances of obtaining a free submission are not very high... 
      LikeReply 110 months ago
  • jerrylogie
    This is one of the best poetry sites I've found. To let the poets judge who writes the winning poem is telling everyone that we ARE all poets and have the right to judge, read and critique each others poems..... 
    LikeReply 211 months ago
  • Jewoo525
    Excited for another month of poetry! Good luck to everyone.
    LikeReply 211 months ago
  • janacstanup
    Hello, everyone Check out the Poem Pain Medicine and let me know what you think!!
    LikeReply11 months ago
    • jerrylogie
      They won't let us read them until they are all entered. I tried to read your poem. Mine is Star Rider...
      LikeReply 111 months ago
  • Lynntrunzo256
    I submitted my poem but it’s not showing I did
    LikeReply11 months ago
  • Lynntrunzo256
    Notify me if I won and when voting starts
    LikeReply11 months ago
    • acronimous
      All participants are getting notified by email when voting starts...
      LikeReply 211 months ago
  • jerrylogie
    Do you ever have a yearly competition where all winners and honorable mentions have a contest at the end of each year like these monthly contests, or is that a possible idea?
    LikeReply 211 months ago
    • acronimous
      Admire your vision, buddy -- stay tuned... :-)
      LikeReply 111 months ago
    • lovingempath
      Wallah!. Ask and you shall receive :)
      LikeReply 110 months ago
  • jerrylogie
    I submitted a poem earlier but it has not been put on the summary page. I believe submitting early gives one a better chance of being read as very few take the time to read all of the submitted poems so being one of the first to join is beneficial. 
    LikeReply 111 months ago
    • acronimous
      The poems featured on both the summary page and the contest voting page are presented in a random order, which ensures that each nominee has an equal opportunity to be viewed by the participants. Therefore, submitting a poem early does not provide any real advantage. 
      LikeReply 111 months ago
    • jerrylogie
      Thank you for telling me that. Does it take awhile when was has been submitted before it shows because that's really what I was concerned about...Mine didn't show up till today.
      LikeReply 111 months ago
    • acronimous
      We review all submissions before approving them for the contest, which is why there is a delay in processing.
      LikeReply 211 months ago

Enter the competition

Submit your best poem to the contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and gain worldwide recognition for your talent!


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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Poetry Contest

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Previous Contests

Here are direct links to our previous contests' summary pages.

 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

 Worldwide Recognition

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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