To encourage the craft, VCWC sponsors an annual poetry contest. We honor our past winners. If you have any information about the 2005 and 2006 poetry contests, as well as honorable mentions from past contests, please contact Barbara at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2005 and 2006

First Place: DNA by William Vietinghoff

Second Place: August by Tim Tipton

Third Place: Beyond the Margin by Diana Blackburn

Third Place: A tanka by Doris Vernon

 

2007

Non-Published

First Place: My 8th Birthday (after Frank O' Hara) by Melissa Grossman

Second Place: Joy in the Morning by Danielle Brown

Third Place: Battles by Paul Westefer

HM: Carelessness by Melissa Grossman

HM: Spring Rain by Danielle Brown

HM: Silence Is Golden by Helen Stockdale

 

Published

First Place: How to Paint Yourself Into a Corner by Cathryn Andresen

Second Place: Some Reasons Why I Won't Loan You $500 by Michael Faran

Third Place: Rick Sings by Phil Taggert

HM: Perfect Lady by Risky Betts

HM: Hansel Comforts Gretel by Doris Vernon

HM: to the girl wearing a rain-soaked beret by Michael Faran

HM: Labor Day at Lake Chautauqua by Mary H. Shaffer.

 

2008

First Place: Lament for a Long-Stranded Ship by James Vernon

Second Place: Adam and Eve Revisited by Stuart Chalfant

Third Place: Horses, Higher Education & A Budweiser Beer Salesman by Polly Bee

 

2009

Adults

First Place: Renovation by Cathryn Andresen

Second Place: Featherbrains by Margaret Morris

Third Place: We Go to a Fire by Michael Faran

 

Under 18

First Place: Being Me by Elizabeth Riker

Second Place: The Silly Game by Valerie Lopez

Third Place: Ode to an Orange by Patty Espinoza

 

2010

Adults

First Place: Mother Redux by Carla Laureen Henry

Second Place: The Enigma of Survival by Patricia Hoad

Third Place: The woman who Went to Bed by Ron A. Alexander

HM: One Fence Away by Michael Faran

HM: Blue Lupine by Patricia Hoad

HM:  Senryu by Doris Vernon

 

Youth: 13-18

First Place: Invasion by Rachel Phillips

Second  Place:  It Rains by Cara Pew

Third Place: The Dog by Mykel Davis

HM: Cancer Chooses You by Carly Horne

HM: A Mirror’s Secret by Megan Yip

HM:  Little Miss Smug by Rachel Phillips

HM: Punching Bag by Arvind Bhattacharya

HM:  Lil Jester by Edgar L Palencia

 

2011

Adults

First Prize: and those who call themselves human…what are they like? by Virginia Anderson

Second Prize: To Die For by Michael Faran

Third Prize: Dylan '65 by Michael Faran

 

Youth: 13-18

First Prize: Memorization by Katie Wurtzel

Second Prize: I'm Still Here by Erin Strubbe

Third Prize: I'm Already There by Ana-Luisa Anaya

HM: Disarray by Sara Wilson

HM:  Winter's Melody by Juliana DiStefano

 

Youth: 12 and under

First Prize: Storm by Kayla Borkovec

Second Prize: The Shooting Star by Alisha Patel

Third Prize: Avalanche by Chris Flood

 

2012

Audio Visual (links to video)

First Place:  First There Was Stone by Maia

Second Place: 9503 Maryknoll by Phil Taggart

Third Place: Love Changed by Ricky Robles

HM: Hilde's Song by Richard Lukas

HM: Poems and Pictures by Blanche Campagnoni

 

Adult

First Place: Sometimes an Angel by Mary Kay Rummel

Second Place: She Lies in the Middle by Robert Geweniger

Third Place: What Do the Dead Know? by Mike Faran

HM:  Airports of the World by Danielle Brown

HM: This New Child by Kay Krattli

 

Youth: 13-18

First Place:  Behind Our Eyes by Olivia Adelman

Second Place: Lost by Kaleigh James

Third Place: Lost Oceans by Ana-Luisa Anaya

HM: Memorable Night by Carolyn Olsen

HM: Growing Up by Emma Huebner

 

Youth: Under 12

First Place: Love/Hatred by Elana Luo

Second Place: Ruby by Juliet Ward

Third Place: If I Were a … by Hannah Buch

HM: Something on the Floor by Maya Porche

HM:  The Beach by Natalie Markman

First Place: I Loved It by Seamus Morrison

Second Place: Horse by Nichole Riffenburgh

Third Place: Against the Ocean by April Swan

Additional photos of youth and teen winners with their parents are available along with pictures of individual adult winners with contest chair Alvin Barnes.

First Place: Grace O'Toole at student at Newbury Park High School for  "Colorblind"
Second Place: Angelina Martin a student at Nordhoff High School, Ojai for "Inherently Human"
Third Place: Sarah Redner a student at Newbury Park High School for "A Journey Through Shades of Grey"

Honorable Mentions:
Max Morales at student at Villanova Preparatory School won all three honorable mentions for "The Date," "Constellation," and "The Last Look in Their Eyes"

"We welcome the public to celebrate our local winners," said Kate Sexton, President of VCWC. "Each year the crowd grows as the community comes out to welcome our winners and listen to their winning short stories. The club appreciates the continued support of The Ventura County Star, for judging the finalists and publishing the winning stories.

12^th ANNUAL VENTURA COUNTRY WRITERS CLUB POETRY CONTEST OPEN FOR ENTRIES JANUARY 1, 2013

Deadline for Entries is February 15, 2013

DOWNLOAD PACKET WITH FORM, RULES, AND FAQ

The Ventura County Writers Club announced its twelfth annual Poetry Contest, which includes an exciting Audio/Visual category to address more forms of poetry. The contest will continue its two youth categories for poets under 18: Division A is open to entrants ages 13 to 18; and, Division B is open to poets ages 12 and under. Poets 18 and older are invited to enter in the Adult category. The contest is open to poets worldwide as long as the poem is in English.

This year, poet Alvin Barnes and Neal Shapiro will be the contest co-chairs. The contest will be judged through two stages of elimination by a panel, with an established area poet as the final judge. The adult and A/V categories will award $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third place. The two youth categories will award $50 for first place, $35 for second and $25 for third place.

“The Audio/Visual category was added last year to bring new levels of creativity to the contest,” said Alvin Barnes, contest co-chair. “Poetry is no longer simply words. So the contest now encompasses concrete poems, collage, cartoon, calligraphy, animation, spoken word, slam, hiphop, and lyrics. Last year we received many different types of submissions and hope creative poets with entry this year.”

Winning poems will be published in the club’s newsletter, The Write Stuff, and will appear in the next volume of the club’s anthology, to be published in 2014. Poets will be invited to perform their works at the April 2013 club meeting, and will be honored at a reception following the readings.

“Last year, the club began accepting entries online through its website,” said Neal Shapiro, club 1^st VP and contest co-chair. “It streamlined the workflow and made judging the contest easier because we had so many entries in digital format. We are encouraging people to entry online.”