The WriteLight Group is proud to announce the winners of our 2026 National Poetry Month Chapbook Contest.
This year’s contest brought together an incredible range of poetic voices and manuscripts. We were honored to read so many thoughtful, imaginative, and deeply personal collections from writers across the country. After careful review, we are excited to recognize the following winners:
🏆 1st Place: Diane Klammer — Critters
Critters is a heartfelt collection of 21 ecopoems that celebrate the animals who share our fragile planet. Through vivid, poetic snapshots of wildlife and mammals, the chapbook explores the beauty, vulnerability, and deep interconnectedness of the natural world.
🥈 2nd Place: Michael Fallon — The Second Book of Ruth
🥉 3rd Place: Charles (Buck) Bunner — While Praising the Soundness
We would also like to recognize our shortlisted finalists for their outstanding work:
Jeannie Troll Muller — A Life Of Wondering
R.Y. Suben — The Path I Don’t Take
Bell Linden — 3:33 AM
Congratulations to all of this year’s selected writers, and thank you to everyone who trusted us with their work and celebrated National Poetry Month with us. We are continually inspired by the creativity and passion within the writing community and look forward to future contests and opportunities to support writers at every stage of their journey.
— The WriteLight Group
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