We are excited to announce the Streetlight Poetry Contest winners for this year.

But first, several observations: we are pleased with your response of 106 entries comprising 290 poems. As we have previously noted, all poems are read by each of us independently. Then, through consultation and often multiple re-readings, we arrive at the most poignant and well-crafted poems.

But we also want to emphasize that, being poets ourselves, we recognize and appreciate the creative effort of each entrant and in a sense, each poem. We want to encourage each of you to persevere in those efforts. Ask yourself questions that might make your poem(s) more compelling: has the intention of the poem been made clear? has the audience been addressed and been persuaded to understand or appreciate the intention? has language been used to its fullest connotation and compression? have figures of speech and poetic devices been judiciously employed? And so on.

We would like to congratulate the winners:

First Place: Abby Murray for “Of All the Qualities She Could Have Inherited.”

Second Place: Rebecca Faulkner for “Father’s Day.”

Honorable Mention: John Thelin for “Pennies from Heaven.”

Honorable Mention: William Prindle for “The Orchardist’s Lament.”

Each of the winning poems was expertly crafted and navigated the difficult task of writing the intensely personal without sentimentality. “Of All the Qualities She Could Have Inherited” takes us into the parental observance of a child and, down a long telescope of years, brings us to a wry understanding. “Father’s Day” conveys the youthful observer’s experience through careful attention to the sensory aspects of her world. We appreciate the perspective and work of these poets and of those who received honorable mentions. Each of these poets made it over the hurdle of many fine entries and two editors. Be proud.

Fred Wilbur has written in varied genres including essays and blogs, historical research, newspaper columns, magazine articles, book reviews, and book introductions. He has also published three volumes of poetry, and three how-to woodcarving instruction books. His most recent poetry collection is The Heft of Promise (Pine Row Press, 2025). The Nelson County Garden Club: The First Fifty Years, 1935-1985 was underwritten by the Nelson County Historical Society (2023).

Sharon Perkins Ackerman’s poems have appeared in the Southern Humanities Review, Atlanta Review, Blue Mountain Review, Appalachian Places, Kestrel, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Salvation South, and many others. Her second poetry collection, A Legacy of Birds (Kelsay Books, 2025), is available through New Dominion Books or Amazon. She is poetry editor for Streetlight Magazine.