POETRY WEEK 2026 CONTEST TOP FIVE
Monday, May 11
First-place (and winner of CAD$100): “For Your Birthday” by Kim Mannix
Judges’ comments:
“This poem is gorgeous and thought provoking and filled with wonderful imagery . . .”
“DAMN I went through an eureka moment when I read the ending line and returned to the title.”
Tuesday, May 12
Second-place (and winner of CAD$50): “Dispatches” by Allison Bothley
Judges’ comments:
“Fabulous! So fresh—it’s hard to write about birds in a fresh way-—but this poem is not only fresh, but touching and mystical!!”
“I absolutely love the ending.”
Runners-up (and winners of CAD$25 each):
Wednesday, May 13: “The Wisdom of Trains” by Mark Thomas
Judge’s comment:
“This seems to race across the page like a speeding train.”
Thursday, May 14: “The Lottery from Hell” by Irena Pasvinter
Judge’s comment:
“Very stong and authentic. It is well crafted and has the ability to move the reader’s perspective along with the speaker.”
Friday, May 15: “For the Last Person Still Alive Who Has Known Me Since I Was Born” by Lee Ann Smith
Judge’s comment:
“. . . Intrigued by who this ‘you’ is, and I love how it’s woven cohesively throughout the poem. Love this melancholic, subtle tone as well!”