Congratulations to all the winners of our 2018 Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize! We were blown away by the plentiful submissions we received this year, and we’re so excited to have the six winning poems published right here on our website.

Get to know our winning poets a little better by reading their interviews, included beneath their poems!

Thank you to our jurors for the junior category — Heidi Greco, Robin Richardson, and Carol Casey — and the senior category — Richard Osler, Bren Simmers, Cheryl Antao-Xavier, and Greg Santos — for their hard work in selecting this year’s winners and honorable mentions.

Without further ado, we present your 2018 Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Prize winners – be sure to click the poem titles to read them and our jurors’ comments:

 

JUNIOR CATEGORY

1st place:  “Dawn” by STEPHANIE CUI, grade 8

2nd place: “When I Was Young in a Car at Night in Calgary” by LEELOO LENGAGNE, grade 8

3rd place: “A Tree’s Life” by CONNIE XIE, grade 9

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Honorable Mentions:

“A Game of Chess” by CHRISTINA CHEN, grade 8

“Lost at Sea” by REBECCA DEAN, grade 9

“The Count of Spare Realities” by SOPHIA WALL, grade 8

 

SENIOR CATEGORY

1st place: “Marcus” by MELANIE THOMPSON, grade 12

2nd place: “Illusive” by AMINAH ATTAR, grade 12

3rd place: “Burial” by STEPHANIE CHANG, grade 10

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Honorable Mentions:

“A is for Asian” by AMI LI, grade 12

“spidersilk” by QUINN LUI, grade 12

“Daddy” by SAMANTHA CHEN, grade 10

“How I Know Him” by AQUAYLA ANDERSON, grade 11

 

In addition to the cash prizes, this year’s first place winners in both categories were published in 2018’s Poem in Your Pocket Day booklet. Congratulations, Stephanie and Melanie! To learn more about Poem in your Pocket Day, click here.