The Winner’s Circle
2023 Winners
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2023 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners
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2023 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners (pdf) 
Suzanne Underwoods Rhodes, AR Poet Laureate Featured Speaker 
Karen Moulton announcing collegiate winners 
2023 Student Winners and Poet Laureate Suzanne Underwood Rhodes
Left to Right Front Row
Alyssa Howell – Harding Stedler Memorial Junior
Division – 1st Place
Belle Mentgen – Harding Stedler Memorial Senior Division – 2nd Place
Clara Principe – Harding Stedler Memorial Senior Division – 2nd Honorable MentionLeft to Right Back Row
Dabney Lovins – Harding Stedler Memorial Junior Divisoin – 3rd Honorable Mention
Josiah Boone – Harding Stedler Memorial Senior Division – 1st Place
Madison Porter – Pat Laster Collegiate Poetry Contest – 2nd Place
Gabrielle Thurman – Pat Laster Collegiate Poetry Contest – 1st Place
Suzanne Underwood Rhodes – AR Poet Laureate
Verity Callahan – Pat Laster Collegiate Poetry Contest – 3rd Place
Makenna Kutzschebauch – Harding Stedler Memorial Senior Division – 3rd Honorable Mention
Leah Mouton – Harding Stedler Memorial Junior Division – 2nd Place
Left to Right
Fay Guinn, Spring Celebration Chair
Suzanne Underwood Rhodes, AR Poet Laureate
Dennis Patton, Treasurer
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2022 Winners
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2022 Poetry Day Contest Winners
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2022 Poetry Day Contest Winners (pdf) 
President John McPherson 
Dr. Tyrone Jaeger, Keynote Speaker 
L to R, Poet Laureate Suzanne Underwood Rhodes, Key-note Speaker Dr. Tyrone Jaeger, Marie Allison 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Winners who were present L to R
Fay Smalling Guinn, Third Honorable Mention
Marilyn Joyner, First Place
Dennis Patton, Second Honorable Mention
John McPherson, First Honorable Mention
Winners in all contest categories who were present L to R Front Row
Fay Smalling Guinn, Laticia Harris, Pat Laster, John McPherson
L to R Middle Row
Marilyn Joyner, Cathy Moran, Laura Bridges
L to R Back Row
Dennis Patton, Dr. John Crawford
Renee Ramsey accepting 2022 Merit Award from John McPherson President
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2022 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners
2022 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners (pdf) 
Paulette Bane, Speaker, Harding University 
2022 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Student Contest Winners 
PRA Collegiate Contest 1st Place Flannery Hirrel 
PRA Collegiate Contest 2nd Place Brooke Nettles 
PRA Collegiate Contest 3rd Place Davia Fuller 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Senior Division 1st Place Chiu-yi Rachel Ngai 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Senior Division 2nd place July Gibson 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Senior Division 3rd Place Rita Boone 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Senior Division 2nd HM Sam Olvey 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Senior Division 3 HM Mia Hanley 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Junior Division 1st Place Grabiela Valadez-Rizo 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Junior Division 2nd Place Jolie Schafner 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Junior Division 3rd Place Joe Boone 
Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Junior Division 3rd HM Sydney Wang
2021 Winners
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2021 Poetry Day Contest Winners
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2021 Poetry Day Contest Winners (pdf) 
The 2021 Sybil Nash Abrams contest winners are (L to R) John Crawford, Dennis Patton, Fay Smalling Guinn, (absent – Elizabeth Dail), Patricia Laster, and John McPherson. 
John McPherson, President (right), presents the 2021 Merit Award to Marilyn Joyner (left).
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- 2021 NFSPS Contests
- 2021 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners
- 2021 Jeanie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Contest Winners – Press Release
- 2021 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Student Winners (some pictures unavailable)
Flannery Hirrel – 2021 JDC 1st place 
Kaitlin Butler – 2021 JDC 2nd place 
Annnemarie Bennet – JDC 3rd place 
Tahlia Bergeron – 2021 SR Division 2nd place 
Samantha Olvey – 2021 JR Division 2nd Place
2020 Winners
- 2020 Poetry Day Contest Winners
- 2020 Poetry Day Sybil Nash Abrams Contest Winners
Charles Southerland – First Place Sybil Nash Abrams Contest (picture unavailable) 
Fay Guinn – Second Place Sybil Nash Abrams Contest 
John McPherson – Third Place Sybil Nash Abrams Contest 
Sara Gipson – First Honorable Mention Sybil Nash Abrams Contest 
Kitty Sangster – Second Honorable Mention Sybil Nash Abrams Contest 
Laura Bridges – Third Honorable Mention Sybil Nash Abrams Contest - 2020 Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas Merit Award Recipient
Frieda Patton, President (left), presents the 2020 Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas Merit Award to Stacy Pendergrast (right)
- 2020 NFSPS Winners
- 2020 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners
- 2020 NFSPS-CUP Winner – Press Release
- 2020 Jeanie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Contest Winners – Press Release
- 2020 Jeanie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Contest Winners
Addy Mahaffey-2020 JDC 1st Place 
Anna B. Lane-2020 JDC 2nd Place 
Hannah Faulkner-2020 JDC 3rd Place 
Samuel E. Byrd -2020 JDC HM - 2020 Sybil Nash Abrams Student Contests Winners
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Sydney Austen-2020 SR Division 1st place 
Kate Straessle 2020 JR Division 3rd Place 
Samantha Olvey 2020 JR Division 1st HM 
Kaiyan Yu 2020 JR Division 3rd HM Pictures absent are: Katherine Kandlbinder 2020 SR Division 2nd place
Kate Moellers 2020 SR Division 3rd place
Sarah Meeks 2020 SR Division 1st HM
Lorah Chudy 2020 SR Division 2nd HM
Ted Torrey 2020 SR Division 3rd HM
Molly Chosich 2020 JR Division 1st place
Hope Webb 2020 JR Division 2nd place
Rachel Kinney 2020 JR Division 2nd HM
2019 Winners
- 2019 Poetry Day Contest Winners
Merit Award – Mark Hotchkiss accepts PRA’s Merit Award from Frieda Patton in honor of Karen Hayes. 
SNA winners – Dennis Patton announced the winners of the Sybil Nash Abrams Poetry Contest: L to R — Dennis Patton, John McPherson, Dr. John Crawford, Sketer Michaels, Laura Bridges, and Cathy Moran (Sara Gipson, not pictured) - 2019 NFSPS Winners
- 2019 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners
- 2019 Jeanie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Contest Winners – Press Release
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2019 Jeanie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Contest Winners 
Pictured L to R are: Pat Durmon (PRA Judge from Norfork, AR), Jo McDougall (Arkansas Poet Laureate from Little Rock), Gabriel Bass (1st Place winner of $500 from Hot Springs Village, AR), Olivia Burnett (2nd Place winner of $300 from Lynchburg, VA), Emma Barnes (3rd Place winner of $200 from Alexander, AR), Dennis Patton (PRA President from Alexander, AR), and Roger Carter (JDC sponsor from Hot Springs, AR). - 2019 Sybil Nash Abrams Student Contests Winners
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Junior/Senior Division Group 
L-R back row – Jo McDougall (Arkansas Poet Laureate), Frieda Patton (Student Contest Co-Chair), Jordyn Caston (2nd place, SR Division), Brooke Elliott (3rd place, SR Division), Madeline Dalton (3rd HM, JR Division), Dennis Patton (PRA President) L-R front row – Makayla Blankenship (3rd place, JR Division), Addison Glaze, (1st HM, JR Division), and Kiersten Priddy (1st Place, JR Division) Benton Middle School Winners 
Four Benton Middle School students place in the 2019 Sybil Nash Abrams Student Contest (Junior Division). All four students attend classes under the instruction of Ms. Teresa Bond. (L-R Bella Crowe-2nd Honorable Mention; Addison Glaze-1st Honorable Mention; Dennis Patton, President of PRA; Makayla Blankenship-3rd place; and Mackenzie Burt-2nd place)
2018 Winners
- 2018 Poetry Day Contest Winners
- 2018 Arkansas State Fair Poetry Winners
- 2018 Arkansas State Fair Best-of-Show Poetry Winners – Press Release
2018 Arkansas State Fair Best-of-Show Poetry Winners 
Donna Nelson
(Adult Best-of-Show Poetry Winner)
Grace Milner
(Senior Youth Best-of-Show Poetry Winner )
Kiersten Priddy
(Junior Youth Best-of-Show Poetry Winner) - 2018 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Awards
- 2018 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners
- 2018 Jeannie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Winners Press Release
Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas (PRA) has announced the winners of its 2018 statewide Jeannie Dolan Carter Memorial Collegiate Poetry Contest (JDC). Pictured left to right in the below group photo are: PRA President Dennis Patton, Arkansas Poet Laureate Jo McDougall, 3rd Place Winner Alexandra Borchardt from Arkansas State University, 1st Place Winner Jake Sawyer from University of the Ozarks, JDC Sponsor Roger Carter, and JDC Contest Chair Donna Smith. The separate photo is 2nd Place Winner Meleah Perez from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.PRA also congratulates 3 Honorable Mentions: 1HM – Lindsey Walker from the University of Central Arkansas, 2HM – Rebecca Albert from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and 3HM – Samuel Cross-Meredith from John Brown University in Siloam Springs.
Left to Right: PRA President Dennis Patton, Arkansas Poet Laureate Jo McDougall, 3rd Place Winner Alexandra Borchardt from Arkansas State University, 1st Place Winner Jake Sawyer from University of the Ozarks, JDC Sponsor Roger Carter, and JDC Contest Chair Donna Smith 
2nd Place Winner Meleah Perez from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville - 2018 SNA Student Contest Press Release
Pictured left to right: PRA President Dennis Patton of Alexander, Arkansas Poet Laureate Jo McDougall of Little Rock, 3rd Honorable Mention Millie Allgood of Little Rock, 1st Honorable Mention McKenzie Young of Sherwood, 1st Place Winner Evie Kinsey of Benton, AR, and PRA Student Contest Co-Chair Laura Loughridge of North Little Rock. - Dennis Patton, President of PRA, delivers certificates/awards to students who did not attend the 2018 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration. (Not pictured is Grace Rew – Senior Division – 3rd HM.)
Annie Knight (on left) – Senior Division – 1st place – receives her certificate and award from Dennis Patton. 
Raehana Anwar (on right) – Senior Division – 2nd place – receives her certificate and award from Dennis Patton. 
Stephanie Verdaris (on right) – Senior Division – 3rd place – receives her certificate and award from Dennis Patton. 
Hannah Brockette (on right) – Senior Division – 1st HM – receives her certificate and award from Dennis Patton. 
Grace Cassie (on right) – Senior Division – 2nd HM – receives her certificate and award from Dennis Patton. 
Beth Freudensprung (on left) – Junior Division – 2nd place– and Naomi Morris (on right) – Junior Division – 2nd HM – receive their certificates and awards from Dennis Patton. 
Jacob McGinness (on right) – Junior Division – 3rd place – receives his certificate and award from Dennis Patton.
2017 and 2016 Winners
- 2017 Poetry Day Winners
- 2017 Arkansas State Fair Poetry Contest Winners
- 2017 Terza Rima Sonnet Contest Winners
- 2017 NFSPS Winners
- 2017 Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration Contest Winners
- 2017 Jeannie Dolan Carter Collegiate Poetry Contest
Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas announced the winners of its 2017 Jeannie Dolan Carter Collegiate Poetry Contest on Saturday, April 22nd at the Dr. Lily Peter Spring Celebration in Benton, Arkansas. The statewide contest was open to students in Arkansas colleges between January 1st and March 15th.The 2017 winners are:1st Place ($500) – Ellie Black of Hendrix College in Conway (from Clarksville, AR) for her poem, “reading the virgin suicides out loud”.
2nd Place ($300) – Dennison Schultz of UofA Fayetteville (from Cabot, AR) for his poem, “PULSE”.
3rd Place ($200) – Anushah Jiwani of Hendrix College in Conway (from Little Rock, AR) for her poem, “Halwa”.
A group picture of the winning students with PRA representatives at the Saturday event. Pictured L to R: JDC Contest Chair Donna Smith of Greenbrier, 1st place winner Ellie Black of Clarksville, NFSPS President Jim Barton of Huttig, 2nd place winner Dennison Schultz of Cabot, JDC Contest Sponsor Roger Carter of Hot Springs, 3rd place winner Anushah Jiwani of Little Rock, and PRA President Dennis Patton of Alexander. - Visit the Poetry Day Winners page for 2016’s contest victors!
- 2016 St. Fair BOS Winners Press Release
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Joe Boone-2016 St. Fair BOS Youth Winner - 2016 Arkansas State Fair Poetry Contest Winners
Poets' Roundtable of Arkansas 