Introducing Our 2024 Poetry Contest Finalists and Prize Package Winners!

I am so incredibly proud of this year’s winners! Please help me congratulate these fantastic poets, who are now winners of Yecheilyah’s Annual Poetry Contest, Season 7!

Her Journey to Joy
by Trevita Johnson

Hope Moon, Joyful Skies
by Arsenio M. Sorrell, aka Deep Thought the Lyricist

Echoes of Joy
by D.A. Springer

Winners, please look out for an email in the next 24-48 hours with details on how to secure your prized package and the next steps for your interviews.

Each of these poets will receive an individual spotlight on the blog and an interview feature. We are eager for you to hear their winning poems and the inspiration behind their pieces.

Please head over to Instagram and show them some love. The post will go live on my page shortly. View and follow @yecheilyah.

Cool Fun Fact: When we announced the semi-finalists, I didn’t know who the three winners would be. At least not consciously. It wasn’t until we went over the poems with a fine-toothed comb and arranged them that I realized I had placed the winning poets in almost the exact order of the poems we loved most!

Stay glued for details on Yecheilyah’s 8th Annual Poetry Contest 2025 including this year’s theme!

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2024

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

There was not a single poem I did not personally enjoy.

Everyone contributed something distinct while also teaching us something.

The variety and ingenuity, from visual to audio, were incredible. I appreciate how everyone put their best foot forward. I thank you for participating and sharing your heart with us!

Without further delay, the poets who have made it into the semi-finals and will go on for a chance to win the cash prizes are as follows (in no particular order):

Her Journey to Joy
by Trevita Johnson

Hope Moon, Joyful Skies
by Arsenio M. Sorrell, aka Deep Thought the Lyricist

Joy in the Morning
by Lilanie, aka Kerece Williams

Echoes of Joy
by D.A. Springer

Parable of the Daughter
by Chérie J. Grant

Only three of these five will advance to the finals! That’s right. You are looking at your winners and don’t know it. And nope, they are not in order of placement for all you smart people, tee hee.

The ultimate announcement will be made on Thursday, January 2, 2025! Which of these dope poets made it to the top 3? Stick around and find out!

We pushed it back a day in case some of you return from travel.

As with each year, you can read the winning poems on this blog. We are also interviewing them live, so you don’t want to miss that!

In the meantime, please show these poets some love when you see the post, which goes live on my page shortly. View and follow @yecheilyah.

Be Sure to Visit Us on the Web and Stick Around for Details on Next Year’s Contest Theme and Dates!

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023

It is already November 17th!

This is your reminder to submit your poem on or before December 1st to participate in this year’s poetry contest and win cash prizes and promotions.

Your poem must focus on joy in some way and be in our inbox on or before the clock strikes midnight on December 1, 2024!

Email your poem to support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.

Tips for Submitting Video:

Now that the contest is in full swing, you might be wondering how to submit a video of you reciting your poem. As you might recall, we are accepting audio and video submissions. If you choose this, remember you still must send us the written version.

• You can upload it to YouTube or Vimeo. Set it to private and send us the link.
• You can send it via Google Drive to support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
• You can use Dropbox. I have created a temporary account for us under support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
• There is a website that makes uploading large files super easy. It is called We-Transfer, and it’s free to use. Here is the link: wetransfer.com. In the email space, put support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
• Another website that allows video files to be sent is Sharefile. Here is the link: www.sharefile.com

Note: Do not upload your video to Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook because there is no way to keep it private (even with a private account). This is a competition. We don’t want anyone’s poetry leaked until the contest ends and the winners are announced. After that, you are welcome to distribute your work far and wide! (This also helps to protect your intellectual property!)

For details on entering, please click the link below and share this with the poets you know!

Click Here For the Entry Rules and Guidelines

If you would like to support our poets with a donation, you may do so by clicking on the website’s donation page here.

Hope to see you soon!

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023