The judge for the 2025 SFPA Poetry Contest has finished her selections, and we can now announce the winners of this year's contest!

Dwarf Form

First Place: Down in the valley, by Kate Boyes
Second Place: Untitled, by F. J. Bergmann
Third Place: In Praise of Afro-Cosmicism, by Joy Donnell
Honorable Mention: After Dark by F. J. Bergman

Short Form

First Place: Feeding Their Daughters by Helen Patrice
Second Place: Making Vinegar in Struggletown by M.C. Childs
Third Place: The Light Phenomena by Vinita Agrawal
Honorable Mention: Flight on All Hallows’ Eve, by Vince Gotera

Long Form

First Place: irish weather, by Quinn Young
Second Place: From Out The Jaded Sky, by Alan Ira Gordon
Third Place: terraforming, by Clarabelle Miray Fields
Honorable Mention: Waiting for the Flames to Come, by F. J. Bergmann
Honorable Mention: - Gaea Pleads with Uranus and Astronauts, by Salvatore Roseo

Contest Staff

Huge thanks to our judge, Jeannine Hall Gailey, and contest coordinator, James Machell, for their work in wrangling, reading, and selecting the winning entries.

To read the full text of the winning poems, please visit the 2025 SFPA Poetry Contest page.