Only members of PSC may submit to Member-Only Contests, which are held in September, November, January and March. Best of all First, Second, and Third Place winners of the Members-Only Contests of the year are eligible for the Daisie E. Robinson Sweepstakes which is announced each June.
1. Unpublished Poems Only. The Poetry Society of Colorado’s contests consider unpublished poems only. A poem is considered previously published if it has been published in print media or online, as defined in this rule, as follows:
2. Artificial Intelligence. PSC is fully aware of the ongoing advancements with AI, and its ability to generate text appearing to be poetry. The moral imperative maintains that poetry submitted to a PSC contest be wholly the original work of the poet and that it be neither partially nor in whole the product of Artificial Intelligence.
3. Previous Winning Poems. No poem which has previously placed first place through honorable mention may be entered in a subsequent PSC contest. This does not apply to the Daisie E. Robinson Sweepstakes.
4. Fee, Number of Poems. A poet may submit up to three original poems for a given contest. The entry fee is Five Dollars for each poem submitted.
5. Contest themes shall not be used as a poem title, but may be included in the title (e.g. if the theme is “bridges”, no poem entitle “Bridges” shall be accepted, but acceptable titles may include Bridges to Tomorrow, and Five more Bridges, etc.).
6. Eligibility. Only members may submit poetry to Members-Only Contests. Any poet at least 18 years of age may submit poetry to Open Contests.
7. Length. Poem submission line limit is 40 lines unless otherwise stated, but in no event more than 50 lines.
8. Pen Names. If a poet uses a pen name or pseudonym, the poet must also submit their legal name in order for the submitted poem(s) to be accepted to the contest.
9. Contest Deadlines. All entries must reach the Contest Director by the deadline date. Postmarks will not be considered.
10. Prize Limitation. A contestant cannot win more than two cash prizes for any one contest.
11. Publication Consent. The submission of a poem to a PSC Contest constitutes the author’s permission for PSC to post the poem and author to its website, and to include the poem in a PSC Anthology, in the event the poem places. To withdraw permission, the poet must notify the Contest Director in writing before the end of the month in which the winner was announced.
12. Cancellation. A contest may be cancelled if fewer than ten poems are entered in that contest.
Some contests will have a supplemental file that contains additional information regarding what the submission "must & should" contain. If required, the information will be found here. Click the options below to download the appropriate file(s).
PSC now offers an online payment option to submit poems. Please select the number of poems you will be submitting below, then "add to cart" to pay using PayPal.
Don't forget to send your contest poems, using the criteria on this page, to the appropriate Contest Director by the published submission deadline.
If you'd prefer to mail a check vs. paying via Paypal, please mail checks to:
Poetry Society of Colorado
1410 Clayton Street
Denver, CO 80206
December 2023 - Open Contest
Theme: The Well Dressed Poem
1 st Place - Daniel A. Martinez, Clothes Caption
2 nd Place - Vaughn Neeld, The Straw Hat’s Tale
3 rd Place - Ian Hoyman, The Topper’s Boast
1 st hm - Marcel Duclos, Sacristy
2 nd hm - Vaughn Neeld, I Knew She Still Loved Me
3 rd hm - Cheryl Wilkie, Snow Boot’s Tale
November 2023 - Members Only
Theme: Change
1 st Place - Sandi Rhynard White Wash
2 nd Place - Marcel Duclos Old Salt Talk, York Harbor, Maine
3 rd Place - Tracy Mitchell Sweet, Green Icing
1 st hm - Sandi Rhynard Empty Nest
2 nd hm - Nancy Bierman Where Did Forever Go?
3 rd hm - Tracy Mitchell Peripeteia
October Contest: 2023 - Open Contest
Theme: Religious or Spiritual Contest
1 st Place -Guidance, Gloria Viglione
2 nd Place - One, Charles Rakay
3 rd Place - Amen to That, Ann Klaiman
1 st hm - Have Fun!, Martin Postma
2 nd hm - Signs and Light Susan, Harman
3 rd hm - And He Shall Send His Angels, Cheryl Miller
September 2023 - Members Only
Theme: Hidden
1 st Place - Murmurs of Distress, Ann Klaiman
2 nd Place - The Leaving, Charles Rakay
3 rd Place - Shakedown, Charles Rakay
1 st hm - Nice Things, Jean E Sidinger
2 nd hm - Unseeing, Cheryl Wilkie
3 rd hm - Flight Delay, Cheryl Wilkie
August 2023 - Open Contest
Theme: Heat
1 st Place - Fifth Grade Boys at their Best in 1949, Marcel Duclos
2 nd Place - Among the Dunes, Vaughn Neeld
3 rd Place - I Am Wild and I Am Fire, Susan Harman
1 st hm - Summer’s Welcome Yield to Fall, Martin Postma
2 nd hm - It Simmers, Jean Sidinger
3 rd hm - The Hot Soup of Summer, Gay Williford
July 2023 - Open Contest
Theme: Keys Open Doors Winners
1 st Pl - Open Soul, Susan Harman
2 nd Pl - They Say, Justine Hoke
3 rd Pl - Her Garden, Jean Sidinger
1 st hm - Untitled, Daniel A. Martinez
2 nd hm - Keys, Jean Sidinger
3 rd hm - Remember, Amie Duclos
June 2023 - Contest Canceled
May 2023 - Open Contest
Theme: Prompt Picture
1 st Place - The Long November Dark, Olivia Rissland
2 nd Place - The Moment, Marcel A Duclos
3 rd Place - Broken, Charles Rakay
1 st HM - The Voice, Charles Rakay
2 nd HM - Karma, Gloria Vigilone
2rd HM - The Moon Is Calling, Aime E. Duclos
April 2023 - Open Contest
Theme: Tanka
1 st Place - Anticipation, Cheryl L. Wilkie
2 nd Place - Sunshine so welcome, Jean E. Sidinger
3 rd Place - Healer, Canna O’Carroll
1 st H.M. - I wait for your call, Marcel A. Duclos
2 nd H.M. - Omnipotent Oak, Jean E. Sidinger
3 rd H.M. - Snowfall In, April Cheryl L. Wilkie
March 2023 - Members Only
Theme: Trees
1 st Place - To My Dear Linden, Marcel Duclos
2 nd Place - Aspen Sisters, Tracy Mitchell
3 rd Place - Trees for High Places, Pandora Wilson
1 st H.M. - Birch Trees, Tracy Mitchell
2 nd H.M. - Under the Trees, Charles Rakay
3 rd H.M. - Haiku-Water, Marcel Duclos
February 2023 - Open Contest
Theme: Both Sides
1 st Place - Ya Cain’t Have One Side “Thout the Other, Cheryl Miller
2 nd Place - In Memoriam, Nancy Bierman
3 rd Place - What I Want to Know, Martin Postma
1 st HM - How quietly we forget, Charles Rakay
2 nd HM - Pen Palinode, Nancy Bierman
3 rd HM - Pending Susan, Harman
January 2023 - Members Only
Theme: Before
1 st Pl - “I saw your messages with him”, Olivia Rissland
2 nd Pl - Cast Shadow, Cheryl Wilkie
3 rd Pl - b c, Cheryl Miller
1 st HM - In Words, Gloria Viglione
2 nd HM - On the Perception of Time, II Olivia Rissland
3 rd HM - This is how I begin to say good-bye to you, Oliva Rissland
Poetry Society of Colorado
Poetry Society of Colorado, 1410 Clayton Street Denver, CO 80206
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