Previous PSI Seasonal Poetry Contests
PSI hosts several poetry contests throughout the year including members-only and public contests and contests for students. After each contest is an award event and poetry event/workshop. Here are the past events and winners!
Looking for the current contests? Check here.
2026
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The Summer Award even and workshop will be held July 25th on zoom
Categories and Winners for Summer 2026 (coming soon!) Category 1: the penny/pennies (coin) / A Penny for Your Thoughts (The Robert Nankee II Award) Sponsor: Cynthia Nankee Form: Limerick Category 2: Kokopelli Sponsor: Michael Strosahl Form: Any Line Limit: 50 |
Category 3: Gentleness (Fruit of the Spirit Award)
Sponsor Name: Poet Anon Form: Any Line Limit: 40 Category 4: Poetry or Other Writing (PSI Award) Sponsor: PSI Board Form: Abecedarian Line Limit: 26 |
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Spring Award event and workshop was held at Spring Fling Event and Contest Award March 28 at Riley Museum
Categories and Winners for Spring 2026 Category 1: Cat Love Sponsor Name: Mark & Nicole Oehler 1st The Understanding by Terry Jude Miller 2nd Birthday Boy (for Shasta) by Jonathan Bennett 3rd Wondrous Things by Jerri Hardesty HM Prey by W Scott Grant HM Cat People by Mary Ann Bozenski Category 2: Reverse Song Title Sponsor Name: Chris L. Ryan 1st Prison in Christmas by Warren Sidwell 2nd Just Dyin’ to be Mild by Mike Wahl 3rd Storm Song by W Scott Grant HM Bottle “A” in Time by S. Evan Walters HM Phoenix Rising by LC Rose Category 3: Water Fowl (The Kingfisher Prize) Sponsor Name: Michael E. “Maik” Strosahl 1st Place: Much Like This Poem by Warren Sidwell 2nd Place: The Steampunk Kingfisher by Chris L. Ryan 3rd Place: Loon by Mona Mehas HM: Duck Season by Chris Hasara HM: A Heron’s Lesson by Emily Harrison |
Category 4: Inspired by James Whitcomb Riley
Prompt from our Premier Poet “Think of him faring on, as dear in the love of There as the love of Here.” Compose a poem inspired by this quote from James Whitcomb Riley. Sponsor Name: Nancy Simmonds 1st Here I Am by Chris Hasara 2nd Just Away by Alys Caviness-Gober 3rd The First Day After by Terry Jude Miller HM Silence Unspoken by W Scott Grant HM Admiration from Afar by Mike Wahl Category 5: Travel Sponsor Name: Dennis White/George Wylie 1st Hawaiian Allurement by Emily Harrison 2nd Mind Journey by Mary A. Couch 3rd What Is It About Tennessee by Lorraine Jeffery HM Seeking Home by Mona Mehas HM Trip Of A Lifetime by Janice Canerdy Category 6: Longsuffering (Fruit of the Spirit Award) Sponsor Name: Poet Anon 1st The Conversation by Debbi Sponsler 2nd Rope Burns by Mike Nierste 3rd Monarchs by LC Rose HM This Is No Longer A Working Number by Terry Jude Miller HM So We Go On by Chris Hasara |
2025 Results
Winter. Award event and workshop was held at Kokomo-Howard County Public Library MAIN 220 N Union St, Kokomo, IN 46901
Categories and Winners for Winter 2025
Categories and Winners for Winter 2025
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“Speak Out” Protest Poetry
Sponsored by Rachel Wright 1st Engraved Bullets by Terry Jude Miller 2nd Statehouse March by Walter Biskupski 3rd Mind You by Maggie Hoppel HM i’m the apostrophe by Rhonda Yates HM Impatient Drivers by Chris L Ryan Winter Sponsored by Mary A. Couch 1st Icy Pavement by Jacqueline Shannon 2nd To Our Involuntary Audience by Sarah E. Morin 3rd Winter Delight by Jerri Hardesty HM Gray Hair and Wrinkles by S. Evan Walters HM Isa by LC Rose Fierce Creativity Sponsored by Indie Authors Association 1st Radical Peace by Walter Biskupski 2nd Within the Artist by Mary A. Couch 3rd Fierce Poet by Martha McDaniel HM Fierce Creativity by Janice Miller HM Inspiration by Alys Caviness-Gober |
Biblical Water (Role of water in the Bible)
Sponsored by Reina DeCapua 1st Wash Over Me by J.E. Misz 2nd Lord of the Water by Kayla Helmer 3rd Cleansing Tide by Janice Miller HM Making Up Half of Living Cells by Mike Wahl HM The Flow by Stephen Schwei Ekphrastiganza! Sponsored by Michael E. (Maik) Strosahl 1st But What Do the Friar & the Goats Think of All This Love-Making? by Jaclyn Youhana Garver 2nd The Drifter by Eileen Porzuczek 3rd A Small Grief, But It Is Mine by Britt Kaufmann HM Winter Storm, 1993 by Elizabeth Jeane HM Unobtainable by Sarah E. Morin |
Fall. Award event and workshop was held September 20 at Cool Creek Park Nature Center, Carmel. Guest speaker
Categories and Winners for Fall 2025
Categories and Winners for Fall 2025
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Less Is More
Sponsored by Noble Poets 1st The Mathematics of Worth by Samantha "Hamsanta" 2nd Sunday Cleaning by Kurtis Sluss 3rd A Nonet of Love by Debbi Sponsler HM A nice visit by J.E. Misz HM Transfigure by Elizabeth Stanley King Freckles Galore Sponsored by Paula Sweeney Kowszik 1st Jimmy's Freckles by Chris L. Ryan 2nd Ode To My Freckles by Debbi Sponsler 3rd Sun Spots by Jerri Hardesty HM Freckles by Rissa Rae HM Just One by W Scott Grant Rage At In Justice Sponsored by Anonymous 1st a vomiting of feminine rage by Eileen Porzuczek 2nd They Believed Him by Warren Sidwell 3rd Voiceless for Indiana factory workers, 1954. by Ellen Gerneaux Woods HM What the American Healthcare System Tells Me by Anthony Ocean |
Peace (Fruit of the Spirit Award)
Sponsored by Poet Anon 1st: I Prayed For Peace by Debbi Sponsler 2nd: Full by Sarah E. Morin 3rd: Prepositions Matter by Britt Kaufmann HM Sweet Peace by Janice Canerdy HM Pieces by Rissa Rae Old Photograph (The Grace Potter Hearkins Award) Sponsored by Nancy Simmonds 1st Upon a Hill of Maples by Terry Jude Miller 2nd The Many Worlds Theory by Kurtis Sluss 3rd Big Stone. 1939. by Betty Benson HM Geometric Planes by Rhonda Yates HM The Absent Mother by Mary McAllister Nature/Human Nature Sponsored by NiPoets 1st: Insects zipper near by Kurtis Sluss 2nd: haiku/senryu by Jerri Hardesty 3rd: Untitled by Rissa Rae HM Between Two Worlds by Alys Caviness-Gober HM Untitled by W Scott Grant |
Summer. The June 21st award event was at Westfield Washington Public Library
Categories and Winners for Summer 2025
Categories and Winners for Summer 2025
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Cat Love Sponsored by Mark Oehler First Place: Hello to You, Too by Sarah E. Morin Second Place: Sparrow by LC Rose Third Place: My Barn Cat Makes Me Happy by Lora Butcher Honorable mentions: An Ode to Carrie by Walter Biskupski Tangerine Queen by M.A. McDaniel Undefeated Sponsored by Invicta Economic Consulting LLC First Place: Beer League by W. Scott Grant Second Place: When I Grow Up by Warren Sidwell Third Place: Nevertheless, She Persisted by Beth Wolfe Honorable mentions: Long Walk of Life by Mary Mahlstadt Pressing On by Dennis L. White Patriot/patriotic/patriotism (Patriot Award) Sponsored by Anonymous First Place: Patriots by Janice Miller Second Place: Self-Evident by W. Scott Grant Third Place: Patriot is more than a Name by Mary A. Couch Honorable mentions: In Memoriam by Mary Mahlstadt Freedom’s Chance: A Kyrielle by Walter Biskupski |
Fruit of the Spirit Sponsored by Poet Anon First Place: Splash of Kindness by Mary A. Couch Second Place: Regarding Galatians 5:22-23 by Dennis L. White Third Place: Decay by Alys Caviness-Gober Honorable mentions: Patiently by Mark Oehler Fruit of the Spirit by Janice Miller Confluence Sponsored by Michael Strosahl First Place: Big River by Alys Caviness-Gober Second Place: Eagle Snow by Emory D. Jones Third Place: The Meeting by Terry Jude Miller Honorable mentions: The Confluence of Nature and Love by Walter Biskupski Me and Her by Chris Hasara Mushrooms Sponsored by Chris L Ryan First Place: Mushrooms In The Morning by Alys Caviness-Gober Second Place: Grandpa's Mushrooms by Janice MillerThird Place: The Hoosier Mushroom Menu by W. Scott Grant Honorable mentions: The Mushroom by Mary Ann Bozenski The Quiet Ones by Kayla Helmer |
Spring. The March 22 award event was held at Anderson Public Library
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Categories and Winners for Spring 2025
Rebellious Women Sponsored by Gal's Guide Library 1st Unforgivable – Laura Scheele 2nd All the Women Who Came Before Us – Alys Caviness-Gober 3rd The Witch Who Would Not Burn – Bhavana Rupakula HM Love Thyself and Soar – L. C. Rose Really?? Sponsored by Anonymous 1st Really?? – Janice Miller 2nd Yes, Such Things Happen – Really – Janice Canerdy 3rd Really, You Call That Driving? – Mary Couch HM1 Really? – Laura Scheele Brick by Lego Brick Sponsored by Michael Strosahl 1st Brickyard in 4 Acts – Dennis White (Michael presented Dennis an assembled Lego kit of Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture.) 2nd Pantoum – Lora Butcher 3rd Legos of Imagination – Walter Biskupski HM1 Brothers – Alys Caviness-Gober HM2 Brick by Lego Brick – Mary Couch |
Love of Poetry
Sponsored by Poetry Society of Indiana 1st Observe – W. Scott Grant 2nd To Write – Walter Biskupski 3rd My Quill – Mary Couch HM1 the kiss – Laura E. Scheele HM2 Love is – Paige Wyatt Poverty Sponsored by Oak & Amethyst 1st Conditions of Disability – Alys Caviness-Gober 2nd Waiting for Rain – Bhavana Rupakula 3rd Our Shared Mortl Sin – L. C. Rose HM1 Swipe – Jonathan Fuller HM2 Destitution – Dennis White |
Thank you to our sponsors!
In 2025, the following sponsors supported PSI
Spring
Gal's Guide Library, Oak & Amethyst, Michael Strosahl
Summer
Mark Oehler, Invicta Economic Consulting LLC, Poet Anon, Michael Strosahl , Chris L. Ryan
Fall
Paula Sweeney Kowszik, NiPoets, Nancy Simmonds, Noble Poets, Poet Anon
Winter
Rachel Wright, Mary A. Couch, Indie Authors Association, Reina DeCapua, Michael E. (Maik) Strosahl
Spring
Gal's Guide Library, Oak & Amethyst, Michael Strosahl
Summer
Mark Oehler, Invicta Economic Consulting LLC, Poet Anon, Michael Strosahl , Chris L. Ryan
Fall
Paula Sweeney Kowszik, NiPoets, Nancy Simmonds, Noble Poets, Poet Anon
Winter
Rachel Wright, Mary A. Couch, Indie Authors Association, Reina DeCapua, Michael E. (Maik) Strosahl