9th Annual
2025 ADELAIDE LITERARY MAGAZINE
AWARD CONTEST
CONTEST RESULTS
POETRY CATEGORY
The Winner:
UNPREDICTABLE by Emma Robinson
Five shortlist winner nominees:
SALZBURG by Craig Constantine
YOUR SMALL-TOWN NEWS GIRL by Leah Smith
LETTING GO by Sandra Michele Perez
TO PRODIGAL SONS by Armenida Qyqja
FAITH by T. M. Boughnou
Finalists (22)
PEN FOR ME A FOUNTAIN by Stephen Druce
THE ABSOLUTE BEAUTY OF ORDINARY THINGS by Cami Rumble
TUESDAY’S CHILD by Sterling Warner
THE PALMING SUNDAY by Victor Unachukwu
FOR KING AND COUNTRY by Grigory Tishkin
MATILDA by Daniel Flores Hernandez
VENUS AT THE LITTLE ACROPOLIS by Jennifer M Phillips
INGRID IN THE BUSH by James Aitchison
AM I INVISIBLE by Briyanna Dorminvil
THE BIRDS OF THE SEA by Kaitlyn Garner
POMEGRANATE by Alison Stone
HIGH SCHOOL REUNION by Ted Millar
SESTINA by Kira Cordova
EVERGREENS by Susanne Wolf
TO DEFY GRAVITY by Kenneth McCrary
THE CONSONANT CONFLICT by Reed Venrick
WHEN THE CYCLE OF DEATH BEGINS by Davina Boykin
GOD SURE HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR by Idalis Wood
TO LIVE TWO LIVES by Charles B. Pearson
BUZZ AND THE MAGIC TROLL by Hayley Davenport
PILGRIM AT PONTE DU HOC by Robert Funderburk
NIGHT DOESN’T SLEEP by John Ganshaw
ESSAYS CATEGORY
The Winner:
MY MOTHER’S DARK SIDE by Kim Hayes
Five shortlist winner nominees:
FORBIDDEN by Ruth O'Dell
WHAT’S NEXT: A COLLAGE by Amarjit Chopra
THE BEST KIND OF FRIEND by Sharman Ober-Reynolds
SEVEN DAYS OF SORDID WAYS: WHEN THE HEAT COMES DOWN IN THE MYSTIC CITY by Bob Hill
WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT WITH GENDER EQUALITY by Sanchita Das
Finalists (13)
MONSTROUS STORM by Viola Koduru
AMERICAN LIT, 1965-PRESENT by Steven McBrearty
WHAT WE COUNT by K.B. Cooper
HIGH SCHOOL CRUSHES by Joshua Abel
ROCKS, FOX, AND WENDELL BERRY by Ruth Ann Dandrea
SLEEPING WITH STRANGERS by Robert Klose
Dr. KING AND THE CHRISTIAN CRITIQUE OF SOUTHERN SEGREGATION by Derek Reeves
THE MEETING by Jeff Hyndman
WHAT WE COUNT by K.B. Cooper
MESSAGE IN THE SAND by Paul Illidge
CHEESECAKE by Alla Umanskiy
THE IN-BETWEENERS: WHAT ARE YOU? by Angela Jones
THE FIRST CONCEPTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS EMERGE IN MEDIEVAL MALI by Prof. Dr. Antonio C. R. Tupinambá
SHORT STORY CATEGORY
The Winner:
THE WHITE FROG by Joseph Gosler
Five shortlist winner nominees:
COLORS by Arthur Powers
WHAT YOU CAN GET WITH by Mark Wagstaff
MUSIC FOR AGNES by Derek Bates
PLANTER’S PUNCH by S.D. Brown
A WORLD OF OUR OWN by Steven McBrearty
Finalists (53)
A SILENT DESCENT by Amanda Morrison
THE WAY OUT by Ahmed Amir
MALL KIDS by Harvey Huddleston
THE GOLDEN FROG by Gogol
TWO SISTERS AND A STUDENT by Stacey Medlock
THE FACE IN THE WINDOW by Joe Ducato
ROUTINE by Sara London
WEREN’T WE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER OFF by Dan Shpyra
THE LOTTERY by SP Singh
DON’T JUMP by Kendra Martin
SMOKE ACROSS THE BAY by Paul T. Sayers
THE PRANK AND THE PADRE by Renée Henning
THE CELLO MAKER by David P Andersen
EASY TO BELIEVE by David Moran
DEATH OF DESIRE by Steve Loredo
CYNTHIA AND HALL YARDLEY by James Buchanan
ANOMALY by Ren Nutter
A PERFECT DOLL by Rae A. Piwarski
A CALL TO ALMS by Les Jones
NAHARIYA by Philip Graubart
THORNBUSH BOY by Kira Morris
I CAN’T GO BACK by Lakeshia Luckey
DUST SONGS by Brieana Branton
WALK OUT INTO SUMMER by Allen Stone
STATIC VEINS by Michael Lanni
REMEMBER ME by Adaora Ogunniyi
UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF SUCCESS by Stephen Kramer Avitabile
THE SNAKE by Elizabeth Smith
RUTHLESS UTOPIA by Krystle Berry
SEVEN by Justin Waters
SPARROWS by Plamen Vasilev
SEVEN WAYS TO BREATHE by Josiah Bumpus
ONE MORE by Margretta Hutcheon
BY THE PREP TABLE by Kailyn A. Shelton
MR. AND MRS. WILSON by Ian Bishop
FIREDAMP by Eugene Radice
THE BUMPER STICKER by Danielle Sartorelli
THE LUCKY STAR by Ashlee Bellows
THE SAGE by Alaa Mounzer
SPEEDING by Ayanna Edwards
LIFE ISN’T OVER by Shaylai Kayle Turner
THE MIND OF MATEO ANDREWS by Megan McKenna
A DREAM OF LOVE by Skye K.D. Blum
CRUSHING RED by Fernanda Franco
SCHOOL SNOW / NOR’EASTER by Daniel Picker
A RELIQUARY FOR PEACE by Mark Grace
ELOQUENCE EMIOLUWA: THE BREATH OF REBIRTH by Demetria Mitchell
DANDELION CLOCK TIME by Sharon Keely
PLANTER’S PUNCH by S.D. Brown
ECHOES IN THE ENDZONE by Gary A. Noe II
JUXTAPOSITION by J.R. Leyvas
TRUE LOVE ALWAYS WINS by Alxis McLeod
SCALE FORWARD by KoRaan Williams
The winning author in each category shall receive a publishing contract for a book of poetry, short stories, or essays by Adelaide Literary Magazine and a free copy of the Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025. The WINNERS will be featured in the interview section of the Adelaide Literary Magazine No.84, January 2026 edition; and will be nominated by Adelaide Literary Magazine for a Pushcart Prize.
Five shortlist winner nominees in each category will be announced, recognized, and featured in the respective sections (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) of the Adelaide Literary Magazine No.84, January 2026 Edition. Each shortlist winner nominee shall receive a FREE copy of the Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025 and may be considered for a book publishing contract.
Finalists in each category will be announced, recognized, and their selected works will be published in the Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025. Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025 will be released by December 19, 2025.
To order copies of the Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025 POETRY
To order copies of the Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025 ESSAYS
To order copies of the Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025 SHORT STORIES
To order copies of the Adelaide Awards Anthology 2025 Trilogy (POETRY, ESSAYS, SHORT STORIES) at 50% discount
Order a complete set of the 2025 ADELAIDE LITERART AWARD ANTHOLOGY (3 Volumes)
with 50% discount