2025 EARTH DAY STAUNTON
POETRY CONTEST WINNERS:
Adult Category:
1st Place - Waking Up by Amy Purdom
2nd Place - I See People, but [they look] like trees
by Brian Miller
3rd Place - Mountain Sound by Dylan Thomas Mabe
Hon. Mention: Watch! by Amber Moore
Middle School / High School Category:
1st Place – Silent Guardian by Amiya White
2nd Place - Destruction: Seven Days of Undoing by Janisa Gao
3rd Place - Earth Day Poem by Aubrey Marcom
Elementary Category:
1st Place - Woodcutter’s Wife by Amara Curtis
2nd Place TIE - Earth by Hazel Moon Underwood and No Earth, No Us by Afton Love Underwood
3rd Place - Ode to Our Earth by Parker Rexrode (w/ Haesten Murray)
2025 POETRY CONTEST RULES:
Write an original poem using this year's 2025 Poetry Contest theme:
We've Got the Power to Protect the Planet
* Poem needs to be written based on the theme:
Caring for the earth
* Poems should be no more than 250 words and fit on one page
* Create one-page poem in Word document with no illustrations.
. Include a title with your poem and your name under the title
. Include a cover page with the title of poem, your full name,
category you are entering (Adult, MS/HS, Elementary, ASL),
email address, physical address, and phone number
. Total number of pages will be two: cover page and poem
* Send attached entries to: [email protected]
or mail to Shenandoah Green, 202 S. Lewis St., Staunton, VA 24401
. If you email poem, in the subject line write Earth Day Poetry Contest (followed by your last name and category you are entering)
EXAMPLE: Earth Day Poetry Contest Hess Adult
* Poems should be postmarked or emailed by midnight, MAY 15, 2025
* Educators, if your whole class writes poems, please do not
send every poem. Send only the top four poems of your class.
* Winners will be chosen from four categories:
Elementary, Middle/High School, Adult, American Sign Language
. Winners of the Elementary, and Middle/High School level
will receive gift certificates.
. Winners of the adult category will receive:
First Place . . . . . . $50
Second Place . . . . $40
Third Place . . . . . . $30
. The prize for ASL winner is to be determined
. Prizes will only be awarded to contestants living in the United States
with U.S. addresses
. Gift certificates will be from local Staunton, VA businesses
* Please send only one submission per person
. Judging is done by a panel of writers, poets, and environmentalists through the summer months. Winners are determined in time for Earthtober (Earth Day in October!) celebrations.
Write an original poem using this year's 2025 Poetry Contest theme:
We've Got the Power to Protect the Planet
* Poem needs to be written based on the theme:
Caring for the earth
* Poems should be no more than 250 words and fit on one page
* Create one-page poem in Word document with no illustrations.
. Include a title with your poem and your name under the title
. Include a cover page with the title of poem, your full name,
category you are entering (Adult, MS/HS, Elementary, ASL),
email address, physical address, and phone number
. Total number of pages will be two: cover page and poem
* Send attached entries to: [email protected]
or mail to Shenandoah Green, 202 S. Lewis St., Staunton, VA 24401
. If you email poem, in the subject line write Earth Day Poetry Contest (followed by your last name and category you are entering)
EXAMPLE: Earth Day Poetry Contest Hess Adult
* Poems should be postmarked or emailed by midnight, MAY 15, 2025
* Educators, if your whole class writes poems, please do not
send every poem. Send only the top four poems of your class.
* Winners will be chosen from four categories:
Elementary, Middle/High School, Adult, American Sign Language
. Winners of the Elementary, and Middle/High School level
will receive gift certificates.
. Winners of the adult category will receive:
First Place . . . . . . $50
Second Place . . . . $40
Third Place . . . . . . $30
. The prize for ASL winner is to be determined
. Prizes will only be awarded to contestants living in the United States
with U.S. addresses
. Gift certificates will be from local Staunton, VA businesses
* Please send only one submission per person
. Judging is done by a panel of writers, poets, and environmentalists through the summer months. Winners are determined in time for Earthtober (Earth Day in October!) celebrations.
