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ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY SPRING 2026 WINNERS' LIST
1. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY SPRING CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS) 51 entries
*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY
$75, $50, $25, $10 and 3 Honorable Mentions in order of merit Any form, Any subject, No line limit
1st Place Alan Burkett The Quiet Work of Becoming New Market, AL
2nd Place Sam Calhoun Mast Year Elkmont, AL
3rd Place Steve Harrison Elegy For Margaret Auburn, AL
4th Place David Schjott James Freeport, FL
1HM Amy Hadley PunSmoke Bay Minette, AL
2HM Karen McAferty Morris in spring, at 18 Pensacola, FL
3HM Beth Sherrill Countless Tuscaloosa, AL
2. THE CHRISTOPHER WARE MEMORIAL CONTEST (Sponsored by Dargan Ware) 17 entries
$70, $50, $30, and Honorable Mentions at judge’s discretion.
Subject: Our National Parks (either collectively or any National Parks Service unit individually) Any form, Line limit 100
1st Place Alan Burkett Places We Had the Sense to Save New Market, AL
2nd Place Lorraine Jeffery Bryce Canyon Hoodoos Orem, UT
3rd Place Karen McAferty Morris At the Edge Pensacola, FL
1HM Mike Wahl National Parks Athens, AL
2HM Steve Harrison Crossing Yellowstone Auburn, AL
3HM Amy Hadley in the last quiet places Bay Minette, AL
3. THE BKC AWARD, In memory of Bettye K. Cannizzo (Sponsored by Jessica Temple) 35 entries
$50, $30 $20, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.
Subject: Surprises from Mother Nature Any form, Line limit 40
1st Place Sam Calhoun The news Elkmont, AL
2nd Place Amy Hadley I thought I was happy writing haiku Bay Minette, AL
3rd Place Terry Jude Miller Sweet from Sour Richmond, TX
1HM Donna Geise The Natural Order Owens Cross Roads, AL
2HM Dargan Ware An Unheard Tale of Surprising Kinship Bessemer, AL
3HM Steve Harrison Man Meets Dog Auburn, AL
4. “DEEP SOUTH LORE” (Sponsored by Dave Schjott) 23 entries
$50, $30, $20, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.
Subject: Deep South Lore Any Form, Line limit 40
1st Place Terry Jude Miller Sleepy Superstition Richmond, TX
2nd Place Sam Calhoun Listening Elkmont, AL
3rd Place Dargan Ware Boggy Creek Nights Bessemer, AL
1HM Mark Hudson Voodoo museum Evanston, IL
2HM Steve Harrison Southern Whiskey Auburn, AL
5. EXTENDED METAPHOR (Sponsored by Donna Geise) 12 entries
$50, $30, $20, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion.
Subject: Select an animal as subject; however, the meaning should be metaphorical.
Example: "The Groundhog" by Richard Eberhart. Any form, but no rhymes, Line limit 40
1st Place Amy Hadley my pet elephant Bay Minette, AL
2nd Place Dargan Ware The World is Your Bamboo Shoot Bessemer, AL
3rd Place Emily Grimes-Henderson Water, Stones, Air, and Light Mt. Olive, AL
1HM Lorraine Jeffery Wolf at the Window Orem, UT
2HM Dr. Emory D. Jones Sailing Condor Iuka, MS
3HM Alan Burkett The Armadillo Crossing County Road 12 New Market, AL
6. POETRY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE (Sponsored by Mike Turner) 15 entries
$50, $30, $20 and 2 Honorable Mentions
Subject: What price Freedom? Any form, Line limit 30
1st Place Alan Burkett What Price Freedom New Market, AL
2nd Place Delbert Reed Dance, Black Man, Dance Northport, AL
3rd Place David Schjott Therapy 12 - Mark Freeport, FL
1HM Lorraine Jeffery Liberty Bell Orem, UT
2HM Tanya R. Whitney Wounded Warrior Sorrento, LA
7. SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL AWARD (Sponsored by Mike Wahl) 5 entries
$45, $30, $20, and 3 Honorable Mentions at $5 each
Subject: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, write a “found poem” using the Declaration of Independence (DoI) as the source document. Use this site:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Here, you may copy and paste the entire document into your word processor for further manipulations, as required below.
Form: found poem – the DoI is a long document, and you may want to read through it first to reacquaint yourself with the material that is available. All chosen words/letters for your poem must be in the order that they appear in the DoI. You may wish to use a “strike-through” feature initially to choose your selections, and later delete all unneeded text. You may add or delete spaces, as needed, and you may make past tense features and plural word endings if those letters can be selected in the upcoming textual order. Remember, there is a lot of raw material, and many
words are often repeated, so your restrains are minimal. Line limit 40 lines, 55 characters max/line
1st Place Beth Sherrill What Does It Mean to Be A Country? Tuscaloosa, AL
2nd Place Donna Geise Declaration Owens Cross Roads, AL
3rd Place Jessica Temple Declaration Fort Walton Beach, FL
Judge declined to cite any other poems.
8. THE NORMAL SHAVIN RENAISSANCE AWARD (Sponsored by Julianza Shavin 8 entries
in memory of sponsor's father, Nornal Shavin, (1926-1988) writer, flutist, civil rights
activist, scrabble- master.) $35, $25, $15 and 3 Honorable Mentions
Subject: Poem to do with music or civil rights, embedding at least 6 musical and/or civil rights references. Can combine themes. Form: Free Verse Elegy or Ode (to or for anyone)Line limit 36
1st Place Jessica Temple Roentgenizdat Fort Walton Beach, FL
2nd Place David Schjott Notice Freeport, FL
3rd Place Alan Burkett When the Song Refused to Sit Down New Market, AL
1HM Lorraine Jeffery Coda Orem, UT
2HM Donna Geise Ode to My Father Owens Cross Roads, AL
3HM Mike Wahl Meeting at the Middle Athens, AL
9. THE KAREN PEACE STROKE OF GENIUS AWARD (Sponsored by Julianza Shavin 6 entries
in memory of friend, poet, painter, and, most passionately, composer/conductor, Karen Peace, (1961-2023) who had a stroke in 2010 which impaired her speech, though she could still sing in her amazing operatic voice.)
$35, $25, $15 and 3 Honorable Mentions
Subject: Poem inspired by any of her compositions at:
https://www.soundclick.com/kepeaceusa
If you can or if you cannot access her compositions, either way, a poem embedding at least 6 musical and/or poetic terms.
Form: Free Verse Elegy or Ode (to or for anyone) Line limit 36
1st Place Emily Grimes-Henderson City Music Mt. Olive, AL
2nd Place Mike Wahl Symphonic Discourse Athens, AL
3ed Place Jessica Temple De-Composing Fort Walton Beach, FL
1HM Alan Burkett Listening for Peace New Market, AL
Judge declined to cite any other poems
10. MOM'S ADVICE I DIDN'T TAKE (Sponsored by Nancy LaChance) 10 entries
$35, $20, $10, and 1 Honorable Mention $5
Subject: Mom's advice I didn't take
Form: Rhyming verse Line limit: 24
1st Place Donna Geise Out of Egypt Owens Cross Roads, AL
2nd Place Mark Hudson Don't play Frisbee inside Evanston, IL
3rd Place Heidi Schmidt It's Time Rockton, IL
1HM Myra Ward Missing Mother Now That She's Gone Pell City, AL
11. THE KAREN EDWARDS AND PENNY HARDESTY MEMORIAL AWARD 29 entries
(Sponsored by Kirk and Jerri Hardesty) $25, $15, $10 and 3 Honorable Mentions
Any form, Subject: Mothers or Mother figures Line limit 40
1st Place Alan Burkett The Women Who Kept the Light On New Market, AL
2nd Place Myra Ward The Color of Innocence in Remembrance of Cupcake McKinney, The Child Who Vanished From Birmingham, Alabama Pell City, AL
3rd Place David Schjott LaGuardia Freeport, FL
1HM Jessica Temple Airline Terminal, Atlanta, Georgia, 1956 Fort Walton Beach, FL
2HM Beth Sherrill The Myth of the Wandering Goddess Tuscaloosa, AL
3HM Donna Geise Red Mud Owens Cross Roads, AL
12. EKPHRASTIC POEM (Sponsored by Jodi Adamson) 4 entries
*One Prize which will be the Book Nook on which poems are based.
* MUST BE PRESENT AT MEETING TO WIN PRIZE
Any form, Subject: Ekphrastic poem based on photos of the book nook at this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fTXS3iDngQny7s3w8 No line limit
*Winners may be adjusted if not present
1st Place Alan Burkett Evenings in a House of Books New Market, AL
1HM David Schjott Trapped Freeport, FL
*Reserve Randy C. Hale Antique Shop Oneonta, AL
(provided for reference)
Spring 2026 Contest
is now closed.
Good luck, poets!
ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY
2026 SPRING CONTESTS
1. ALABAMA STATE POETRY SOCIETY SPRING CONTEST (Sponsored by ASPS)
*THIS CATEGORY IS OPEN TO PAID MEMBERS ONLY
$75, $50, $25, $10 and 3 Honorable Mentions in order of merit
Any form, Any subject, No line limit
2. THE CHRISTOPHER WARE MEMORIAL CONTEST (Sponsored by Dargan Ware)
$70, $50, $30, and Honorable Mentions at judge’s discretion
Subject: Our National Parks (either collectively or any National Parks Service unit individually)
Any form, Line limit 100
3. THE BKC AWARD (Sponsored by Jessica Temple in memory of Bettye K. Cannizzo)
$50, $30 $20, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion
Subject: Surprises from Mother NatureAny form, Line limit 40
4. DEEP SOUTH LORE (Sponsored by Dave Schjott)
$50, $30, $20, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion
Subject: Deep South Lore Any Form, Line limit 40
5. EXTENDED METAPHOR (Sponsored by Donna Geise)
$50, $30, $20, and Honorable Mentions at judge's discretion
Subject: Select an animal as subject; however, the meaning should be metaphorical.
Example: "The Groundhog" by Richard Eberhart.
Any form, but no rhymes, Line limit 40
6. POETRY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE (Sponsored by Mike Turner)
$50, $30, $20 and 2 Honorable Mentions
Subject: What price Freedom?
Any form, Line limit 30
7. SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL AWARD (Sponsored by Mike Wahl)
$45, $30, $20, and 3 Honorable Mentions at $5 each
Subject: In honor of America’s 250th birthday, write a “found poem” using the Declaration of Independence (DoI) as the source document. Use this site: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Here, you may copy and paste the entire document into your word processor for further manipulations, as required below.
Form: found poem – The DoI is a long document, and you may want to read through it first to reacquaint yourself with the material that is available. All chosen words/letters for your poem must be in the order that they appear in the DoI. You may wish to use a “strike-through” feature initially to choose your selections and later delete all unneeded text. You may add or delete spaces as needed, and you may make past tense features and plural word endings if those letters can be selected in the upcoming textual order. Remember, there is a lot of raw material, and many words are often repeated, so your restraints are minimal.
Line limit 40 lines, 55 characters max per line
8. THE NORMAN SHAVIN RENAISSANCE AWARD (Sponsored by Julianza Shavin in memoryof sponsor's father, Nornan Shavin (1926-1988), writer, flutist, civil rights activist, Scrabble-master.)
$35, $25, $15 and 3 Honorable Mentions
Subject: Poem to do with music or civil rights, embedding at least 6 musical and/or civil rightsreferences. Can combine themes.
Form: Free Verse Elegy or Ode, Line limit 36
9. THE KAREN PEACE STROKE OF GENIUS AWARD (Sponsored by Julianza Shavin in memory of friend, poet, painter, and, most passionately, composer/conductor, Karen Peace (1961-2023), who had a stroke in 2010 which impaired her speech, though she could still sing in her amazing operatic voice.)
$35, $25, $15 and 3 Honorable Mentions
Subject: Poem inspired by any of her compositions at: https://www.soundclick.com/kepeaceusa
If you cannot access her compositions, write a poem embedding at least 6 musical and/or poetic terms.
​
Form: Free Verse Elegy or Ode, Line limit 36
10. MOM'S ADVICE I DIDN'T TAKE (Sponsored by Nancy LaChance)
$35, $20, $10, and 1 Honorable Mention $5
Subject: Mom's advice I didn't take
Form: Rhyming verse, Line limit: 24
11. THE KAREN EDWARDS AND PENNY HARDESTY MEMORIAL AWARD (Sponsored by Kirk and Jerri Hardesty)
$25, $15, $10 and 3 Honorable Mentions
Subject: Mothers or Mother figures
Any form, Line limit 40
12. EKPHRASTIC POEM (Sponsored by Jodi Adamson)
*One Prize which will be the Book Nook on which poems are based.
* MUST BE PRESENT AT MEETING TO WIN PRIZE
Subject: Ekphrastic poem based on photos of the book nook at this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fTXS3iDngQny7s3w8
Any form, No line limit
​
RULES!
(We gotta have rules, otherwise there is chaos.)
1. Deadline for entry is April 17, 2026. Entries must be either postmarked or received online by that date.
2. Entry Fees:ASPS Members: $1 per poem. Non-Members: $5 per poem.
*No limit on number of poems whether member or non-member!*
3. More than one poem can be submitted in any category, but a poet may only win one awardper category.
4. Sponsors may not enter any poem(s) in any category they are sponsoring.
5. Judges may not enter any poem(s) in any category they are judging.
6. As per ASPS bylaws, the second vice president (contest chair) may not enter poems in any category.
7. The same poem may not be entered into more than one category.
8. Poems cannot have won a monetary award in a previous ASPS contest.
9. Poems cannot have been previously published, including online.
10. The line limit for each category is as stated in the contest. Line count does not includetitle and one blank line after title, but all other lines, including epigraph, all printed lines of poem, AND any blank lines within body of poem should be counted. When a fixed form poem is required by the category, line limit will allow for stanza breaks.
11. Please DO NOT DOUBLE SPACE POEMS, single space only, except for stanza breaks.
12. Please do not include any artwork with poems unless requested in category.
13. No poems will be published, but winners will be invited to read at the awardspresentation.
14. Please do not mail submissions by any method that requires a signature.
​
Submission Guidelines
By Mail:
Submit 2 copies of each poem on 8 ½ by 11 paper using a plain font only.
On each copy, put category name and number in the upper left-hand corner.
On one copy only, put your name, address, e-mail, and “member” or “non-member” in the upper right-hand corner. (Address labels are acceptable.)
** Postmark deadline is April 17, 2026 **
Submissions should be mailed to:
Jerri Hardesty, ASPS Contest Chair
1830 Marvel Rd.
Brierfield, AL 35035
Online:
Entries can be submitted at alpoets.org until midnight (Central time) on ** April 17, 2026. **
Create the documents as you would to mail, with two copies of each poem, each with category number and name in upper left, one copy with id in upper right and one without.
Please submit all entries together as a single .pdf file with poems in numerical order. Name your file with your first and last name in the format Last.First.pdf.
*If you would like a copy of the winners list, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope directly to the contest chair or with mailed entry. Winners' list will be posted on website andon Facebook page and group after awards are given at the spring meeting. Click here for a downloadable/printable copy of this brochure.
​
Questions? Complaints? Brilliant poetry-related thoughts? Email the contest chair at wytrabbit1@aol.com