The Fare Forward editors are excited to announce the winners and honorable mentions in the Fare Forward Poetry Competition. We received many, many excellent submissions and were happy to receive entries from former contributors, long-time subscribers, and brand-new readers. Our poetry editor struggled to choose the fifteen finalists, and the other editors had a difficult job making their own selections. Our submissions included all kinds of poems—praise psalms, unholy sonnets, narratives, philosophical musings, and several that engaged with other great writers. While the poems on this list all exhibit skillful craft and creativity, they also showcase the breadth of styles, subjects, and voices we read in this competition. Thank you to all those who participated, and congratulations to the winners!

1st Place: “Say Jonah was right and grace is wasted” by MEH (Matthew E. Henry)
2nd Place: “Easter Afternoon” by Claire Lewandowski
3rd Place: “Of the Baptized Apostate Hiking in Drought” by Betsy K. Brown.

Honorable Mentions:
“Your Old Men Will Dream Dreams” by Lauren Carlson
“Flood” by Daniel Gustafsson
“Galaxie” by Ted Morrissey
“An Answer to Dylan Thomas” by Dave Strunk
“Eschata” by Skyler J. Keiter-Massefski