On October 17, 2026, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association held a virtual awards ceremony to reveal the 2026 winners of its annual Dwarf Stars, Elgin, and Rhysling awards. The organization's annual contest also recently announced its 2026 winners.
Congratulations, all!
Annual Contest Winners
SFPA's annual contest celebrates original poetry. There are three categories: Dwarf Form (1 to 10 lines), Short Form (11 to 49 lines), and long form (50 lines and above). To read the full text of the winning poems, visit the 2026 Annual Contest page.
Dwarf Form Winners
First Place: “Unauthorized Territory,” Michael Bailey
Second Place: “Communication Is Important,” F. J. Bergmann
Third Place: “Untitled,” Anna Cates
Short Form Winners
First Place: “The Wind Always Returns,” Hinse Mutter
Second Place: “The Museum of Anomalous Objects,” F. J. Bergmann
Third Place: “Last Lowcountry Haunt,” Joy Donnell
Long Form Winners
First Place: “The Abyss Between One and Two,” Izzy Toy Rettke
Second Place: “At the Cosmic Gallery Above Proxima Centauri b: After Dreamworld,” M. Frost
Long Form: "A Backdrop of Black Velvet and Rhinestones," F. J. Bergmann
Honorable Mentions
“Disillusioned Tribute,” Joy Donnell (dwarf form)
“Cataloguing Lost Souls,” Colleen Anderson (short form)
“Ten Ways to End the World,” Kathleen Bryson (long form)
Dwarf Stars Award Winners
The Dwarf Stars Award celebrates speculative poetry of ten lines or fewer published in the previous calendar year. For more information about the winners and the award, visit the 2026 Dwarf Stars Award page.
First Place: "Concrete Cuneiform Poem #1," by Robert Frazier
Second Place: [bound with plaited grass] by F. J. Bergmann
Third Place: "What Black Holes Read," by Mary Soon Lee
Honorable Mentions
"Familiar Spirit," by Sarah Cannavo
"Mushroom Lung," by Yuliia Vereta
"The Point of Measurement," by Lynne Sargent
Elgin Award Winners
The Elgin Award celebrates chapbooks and full length books of poetry published in the previous two calendar years. For more information about the winners and the award, visit the 2026 Elgin Award page.
Chapbooks
First Place: The Women of Myth by M. Frost
Second Place: Over It: Goddesses Who've Reached Their Limit by Gerri Leen
Third Place: Risk Assessment by David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Full Length Books
First Place: Everything Endless by Linda D. Addison & Jamal Hodge
Second Place: Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud by Lee Murray
Third Place: Sleepless Nights in the Dreamers Mall by Herb Kauderer
Rhysling Award Winners
The Rhysling Award celebrates individual poems published in the previous calendar year. There are two categories: short form (11 to 49 lines) and long form (50 to 299 lines). For more information on the winners and the award, visit the 2026 Rysling Award page.
Short Category
First Place: "How to Become a Sea Witch," by Theodora Goss
Second Place: "The Mourning Robot," by Angela Liu
Third Place: "Final Moments of a Witch: A Poem Told in Reverse," by Pedro Iniguez
Honorable Mentions
"Reaper," by Mary Soon Lee
"I Try to Explain the Concept of Teeth to My Alien Roommate," by Rachel Linton
"I Was Lt. Uhura," by January Gill O'Neil
Long Category
First Place: "Hex Supply Customer Support Log," by Elis Montgomery
Second Place: "His New Antlers," by Rick Christiansen
Third Place: "One Hundred Thousand Legends and the Longing Underneath," by Gwendolyn Hicks
Honorable Mentions
"Components," by PS Cottier
"A Priestess of Bast Reflects on a Past Life," by Clarabelle Miray Fields
"Stationary," by David C. Kopaska-Merkel