Fresh Voices Poetry Competition

We are thrilled to bring the Fresh Voices Poetry Competition back to Hill-Stead during National Poetry Month!

Fresh Voices Poetry Competition is an outstanding program that offers students the opportunity to write and perform poems suitable for presentation and publication. The highly selective competition features a rigorous judging process, a focused workshop with professional poets, and special recognition. Since 1993, student poets from all corners of Connecticut have entered this competition.

Who May Enter:

  • Connecticut High School-age students
    • Previous winners may not enter again.
  • Participation in the live reading on Friday, April 26, 2024, is required
  • Please fill out the competition entry form

Dates To Know:

  • Sunday, March 31—entry deadline!
  • Friday, April 12—up to 15 FINALISTS will be announced via email and museum website
  • (DATE TBD) —workshop for the finalists in preparation for adjudicated readings
  • Friday, April 26 at 5pm—FINALISTS will read before a panel of judges and audience at the museum, and 4-6 WINNERS will be announced, after the reading a reception will celebrate the completion of the Fresh Voices 2024 Competition and all entrants.

Submission Guidelines:

  • Submit 3 to 5 pages of poetry comprised of at least two poems
  • Times New Roman size 12 font
  • Name of student and poem title at the top of each page/poem
  • No second column on page
  • 1-sided pages only
  • All poems must be saved as one PDF document with “Student Name.FV2024” as document title
  • Must be emailed no later than Sunday, March 31, 2024

How To Enter:

  • Follow submission guidelines, fill out the competition entry form and return signed.
  • Scan and email completed form and poems to education@hillstead.org.
  • IMPORTANT: Please use “Fresh Voices Entry” as subject heading of your email.

Awards:

  • Perform a live reading for the Young Poets Competition & Celebration at Hill-Stead Museum on Friday, April 26, 2024
    • *Finalists must be available to participate in this performance!
  • Monetary awards for all Fresh Voices winners!
  • Free workshop led by a local professional poet, date TBA
  • Winners announced on Hill-Stead Museum’s social media and website

Previous Winners

Congratulations to the 2023 Fresh Voices Competition winners!

This past Friday, April 21, 2023 Fresh Voices finalists read their poems to our panel of judges. At the conclusion of the readings, the following winners were announced:

  • McKenna Clemons, Rockville High School
  • Chloe Djilani, Danbury High School
  • Jules Kontozissi-Dahlstrom, Danbury High School
  • Elsa Poler, Miss Porter’s School
  • Lauren Tedford, Rockville High School

Their poems will be published in our online poetry journal, Theodate, later in the summer.

Our heartfelt congratulations to the following finalists:

  • Eliot Alonzo, Danbury High School
  • Caitlin Chatterton, Rockville High School
  • McKena Clemons, Rockville High School
  • Grace Denhel, Rockville High School
  • Chloe Djilani, Danbury High School
  • Abigail Hermanson, Rockville High School
  • Jules Kontozissi-Dahlstrom, Danbury High School
  • Athena Lavigne, Rockville High School
  • Mikayla Lesky, Rockville High School
  • Ashley Mayfield, Woodland Regional High School- Region 16
  • Theo Mays, Westover School
  • Elsa Poler, Miss Porter’s School
  • Tracy Pierre, Bristol Central High School
  • Lauren Tedford, Rockville High School
  • Anna Siciliano, Hall High School

Hill-Stead Museum also wishes to thank this year’s Fresh Voices readers, Amy Blakemore and Margaret Vaughan. Thank you for your thoughtful read and review of each submission and for selecting these finalists to present their poetry in front of a live panel of judges on Friday, April 21, at 5 pm.

This year’s Fresh Voices Judges were Princess Zuri McCann and Vivian Shipley. 


 2021

Read the poetry of the 2021 winning poets in the February 2022 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Eve Brouillard Rockville High School
  • Nora Holmes William H. Hall High School
  • JaMara Jean Westover School
  • Valli Pendyala South Windsor High School
  • Cindy Truong ACES Educational Center for the Arts

2020

Read the poems by the 2020 winners in the January 2021 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Haneen Alkabasi Avon High School
  • Alicia Chiu William H. Hall High School
  • Jake Colangelo Joel Barlow High School
  • Olatunji Osho-Williams Westminster School
  • MM Odom The Grove School
  • Charlotte Watts Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts

2019

Read the poems by the 2019 winners in the January 2020 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Sophia Ciraldo Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Danny Diaz-Villafane  Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Stella Georgian  East Lyme High School
  • Autumn Munsell  Granby Memorial High School
  • Camden Robertson  Granby Memorial High School
  • Ava Varano Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts

2018

Read the poems by the 2018 winners in the May 2019 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Vanecia Fultz  Rockville High School
  • Rachel Justice  Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Sarah Lewis  Hall High School
  • Ellis McGinley  Arts at the Capitol Magnet School
  • Youssef Mezrioui  Rockville High School
  • Alex Nordlund  Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts

2017

Read the poems by the 2017 winners in the January 2018 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Joyce Hida, Rockville High School
  • Sophia Durand, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Rachel Horowitz-Benoit, EO Smith High School
  • Verne Mackoff, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Sophie Spaner, Valley Regional High School

 2016 

Read the poems by the 2016 winners in the January 2017 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Owen Elphick, E.O. Smith High School
  • Chloe Ezzo, Kingswood Oxford
  • Leah Nashel, Westover School
  • Jossary Padilla, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Abbey Rose Popolizio, Haddam-Killingworth High School

2015

Read the poems by the 2015 winners in the March 2016 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Cole Adams, Kingswood-Oxford
  • Avery Christensen, Rockville High School
  • Khadija Hussain, Wilber Cross High School
  • Joscelyn Norris, Westover
  • Kaleigh Perkins, Rockville High School

2014

Read the poems by the 2014 winners in the February 2016 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Shana Blatt, ACES Education Center for the Arts (New Haven)
  • Colleen Feeney, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts
  • Sophia O’Brien-Udry, ACES Education Center for the Arts (New Haven)
  • Taite Puhala, Westminster School (Simsbury)
  • Wenell St. Hill, Great Hartford Academy of the Arts

2013

Read the poems by the 2013 winners in the February 2016 issue of Theodate: An Online Poetry Journal.

  • Julia Alexander
  • Horlando De los Santos
  • Trey Geisman
  • Hayley Kolding
  • Essence McDonald

2012

  • Alexandra Asal
  • Sophie Dillon
  • Shameil Dias
  • Amanda Goode
  • Shannon Haaland
  • Ellie Woznica

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