Winners of the 2025 From Trash to Treasure Kidlit Poetry Contest!

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Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's “From Trash to Treasure” Kidlit Poetry Contest!

After reading through the many humorous, lyrical, wonderfully creative entries we received, here's what our guest judge, Tracie Renee, had to say:

Thank you for entrusting me with your revised lines! Each one was truly a treasure that stood out in its own way, so be sure to check the comments. I’ve posted a personal response for each entry because daring to show up and keep writing is something that deserves to be celebrated.  

I’ll be honest: it wasn’t easy to pick a winner here, nor was it easy to pick the honorable mentions. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see your name here. At one point, picking a winner seemed entirely impossible so I (briefly) gave up and commemorated the feeling with a limerick, since that form was trending in the submissions: 

There once was a poet who trudged 

home from her day job to judge 

a contest so fine 

each poem was divine— 

so she gave up and just ate some fudge. 

My limerick is...not great. Definitely more trash than treasure, and not nearly even as good as the almond butter I had to pretend was fudge because that’s all we actually had in the kitchen. But eventually, after re-reading all the submissions countless times, I found that I kept coming back to these three. Congrats, poets! May you keep finding treasure in your trash. 

We are thrilled to announce our WINNER...

artwork by Little Thoughts Press cover artist, Rachael Harbert

ERIC PETERSON

SUPPER GROSS

Remember when Grandmama yelled?  

Her dentures were quickly expelled; 

They bounced off her shoe, 

And plopped in the stew, 

Which might be why it then smelled.  

Tracie says:

Congratulations, Eric!

I’m really glad that I wasn’t at this particular dinner with Grandmama. But at the same time, this is delightfully limerick-ed, completely hilarious, and the backstory is every bit as fun as the poem itself AND the fresh direction that your revision gave to the excised line. Tooth-fully terrific, with a bold bite of humor. 

And please join us in congratulating our two HONORABLE MENTIONS...

CHARLOTTE SHEER

THE MIMIC

I don't understand their words. 

They're smarter than most other birds. 

Crows can mimic a voice 

or caw as their choice 

like flying ventriloquist nerds! 

Tracie says: Congratulations, Charlotte! This poem ends with a fun and unexpected image and brings together unique words in exciting ways while also teaching the reader a bit about crows. Absolutely mag(pie)nificent! 

MOE PHILLIPS

The rainstorm left diamond droplets 

on spider webs along the path today. 

Tiny chandeliers clung to low branches. 

My footsteps set them to tinkling. 

Tracie says: Congratulations, Moe! These lines use lucid imagery to awaken the readers’ senses and distill the quiet that so perfectly captures the calm of the rained-on world—what a breathtaking slice-of-life scene. 

Eight-year-old Ben represented young readers by selecting his favorite.

The winner of our KID CHOICE is...

PAM ADAMS

Stealthily, carefully, quietly sneaking—

The cunning black cat eyes the prey he's been seeking.

In ambush position, he's poised, at the ready.

He leaps off his haunches! His focus is steady!

"Squeak" says the little grey rubber toy teddy~

Ben says: You can picture this cat being super serious and stalking real prey, so the twist in the ending is especially funny. Plus, I love cats.

Thank you to all of the poets who participated this year! We loved seeing the treasures you created and we hope you'll join in when we do this again next year! In the meantime, Issue 12: Better Together launches on December 15th and is currently available for pre-order! A celebration of community and collective action, Better Together is a wonderfully uplifting way to end a year that has been full of difficulty and heartache for so many. Please consider ordering a copy and sharing this inspiring issue with a young reader in your life.

Submissions for Issue 13: Head, Shoulders, Spleen & Nose open this Thursday, November 20th. Read all about this theme and check out our submission guidelines.

Congratulations again to all of our winning poets!

Eric, please reach out to Claire to claim your prize!