Submissions are open. Please see below for details.
The Shann Palmer Poetry Contest is a partnership between James River Writers and Richmond magazine to encourage Virginia poets to share their best undiscovered work.
The contest is named after Shann Palmer, a long-time JRW volunteer and board member, beloved poet, and a wild- and wise-hearted creative who shared her spirit and talents freely, inspiring and encouraging others in the literary community. She passed away in December 2013, and the contest (formerly “Best Poetry Contest”) was renamed in her honor the following year.
First prize: $500, publication of winning poem(s) in Richmond magazine, and a ticket to the annual James River Writers conference.
Submissions for the Shann Palmer Poetry Contest will be accepted January 5 – February 29, 2024.
Submissions
Up to four original, unpublished poems (see rules below) may be submitted. Submissions and payment will be accepted only through the online form.
Entry fee: $25
Rules
Poems must be original, unpublished, not scheduled for publication prior to November of the contest year, and must not have previously won an award in this or any other contest. Additionally, poems may not have been shared publicly in a performance or open-mic, online (including a blog, SoundCloud, YouTube, etc.), or in a self-published medium. We’re looking for original work that you haven’t presented to a wider audience in any way. We do not accept poems composed using AI like ChatGPT.
Up to four (4) poems may be submitted in one packet. Poets may not enter more than once per contest year. Employees and board members of either James River Writers or Richmond magazine (including regular freelancers) are ineligible to submit work, as are Shann Palmer Poetry Contest committee members and judges. Please ask if you have questions about eligibility.
Each submission packet must be uploaded as a PDF attachment to the online form (see below). This allows your original formatting to be maintained.
Format
Since each poem is judged anonymously and independently of others, each page has to stand alone. Make sure your submission complies with the following format rules:
- Maximum of one page in length per poem
- No more than one poem per page
- Single-spaced
- 12-point standard font (such as Times New Roman, Arial, or similar)
- Page size = 8 1/2″ x 11″
- Title of the poem at the top of the page
- No page numbering, headers, or footers
- No name on the page with the poem
- Written in English
Additional Information
- Poet must be a resident of Virginia or a student at a Virginia college or university.
- Submissions must be submitted using the form linked to this page.
- Author retains the copyright.
Notification of Winners
Entrants will be notified of the results by the end of June of the contest year. The winning entry will be published in Richmond magazine in a fall issue, and the winner will be celebrated at the next James River Writers Conference in October.
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History of Shann Palmer Poetry Contest Winners
2021 Winners
The 2021 winning poem is “I Have Seen Richmond” by Michael Jones. The two finalists are Laura Boycourt’s “Gold Ribbon” and Claudia Kessel’s “Sonata.” The contest was judged by Richmond’s first Poet Laureate, Roscoe Burnems.
To read the poems, visit Richmond magazine.
2018 Winners
The 2018 winning poem is “How to Meditate,” by Fred Everett Maus. The two finalists are Tony Gentry’s “Immigrant Reflection” and Annie Woodford’s “Till You Said Something Neither of Us Knew.”
To read the poems, visit Richmond magazine.
2016 Winners
James River Writers and Richmond magazine partner to announce Zoa as the winner of the Shann Palmer Poetry Contest, for his poem “A New Emotion.” Head judge and Virginia Poet Laureate, Ron Smith, said “Every time I come back to this poem, it moves me and intrigues me.” A native of Ortonville, Michigan, Zoa earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and literature at Eastern Michigan University. He works as a copy editor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Finalists
M. Lee Alexander, “Sestina of Turku in Winter”
Bill Glose, “Inspecting the Fields”
2014 Winners
First place was awarded to the poem “The Planets Move but Not Alone” by Gail Giewont. Ms. Giewont is an educator at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology and was inspired to begin work on “The Planets Move but Not Alone” while watching a Pittsburgh building burn in 2002 and returned to the poem for revisions over the years.
Fred E. Maus and Polly Lazaron were awarded joint Second Place for their poems, “South Beach in Winter” and “Creamed,” respectively. Polly Lazaron is an artist and former Richmond resident who now lives in a rural setting near Charlottesville. Fred Everett Maus is a musician and writer who teaches music courses at the University of Virginia. He returned to poetry writing a year ago, and the Shann Palmer Contest is the first poetry contest he has ever entered.
Earlier winners – Best Poetry Contest
2012
Winner
Wendy Miles, “Egg”
Finalists
Allison Seay, “Secret Room”
Darren Morris, “Theory on the Occurrence of Cicadas”
Honorable mention
Polly Lazaron, “Aligning with Birth Stars”
Joanna S. Lee, “incongruent”
John L Morgan, IV, “The Barn House”
Shann Palmer, “Bad Girls”
2010
Winner
Laura Davenport, “Sermon: New Orleans, 2003”
Finalists
Heidi Johannesen Poon, “The Problem of the Forest”
Henry Hart, “White Goddess”
Honorable Mention
Wendy Miles, “The Green Place & Memory: Virginia (Two Poems)”
Sallie Lupton Jennings, “He Stays”
Mil Norman-Risch” Remains”
Virginia Rider, “From Miller’s Lane”
2009
Winner
Sharron Singleton, “With my Daughter and Granddaughter at the Korean Spa in a Strip Mall North of Seattle” & “A Thin Thread of Water & Wisdom of the Arch & Unfastened (4 Poems)”
Finalists
Elisabeth Murawski
Henry Hart
Honorable Mention
Darren Morris
Derek Kannemeyer
Melissa Dobsonn
Greg Bowles
Erin Lambertn