Judge Kris Polansky
Poetry: Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-6
Kris Polansky focuses on how different techniques for breaking lines of poetry affect the rhythm (sound) and meaning of a poem. She was impressed by the playful rhymes and rhythms of the Grades 3-4 entries and the sophisticated rhythms and pace of the Grade 5-6 entries. She encourages all those who entered the contest to keep writing. She served KAC for four years (2010-13) as Youth Contest Manager. Subsequently, she has served as a judge for the youth contest several times and is currently KAC Vice President. She has been named KAC Poet of the Year three times, most recently October 2021.
POETRY: GRADES 3-4
1st A School Day, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
2nd How Your Kitty Loves You, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
3rd Soccer, Ronin Rohrback
Honorable Mention: Doggies, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
POETRY: GRADES 5-6
1st Some Rain, Cassandra Northerns
2nd Snowboarding, Eli Sun
3rd What is Art?, Adain Smith
Honorable Mention: A Family, Addison Buck
Honorable Mention: Spring Returns, Cassandra Northerns
Poetry: Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-6
Kris Polansky focuses on how different techniques for breaking lines of poetry affect the rhythm (sound) and meaning of a poem. She was impressed by the playful rhymes and rhythms of the Grades 3-4 entries and the sophisticated rhythms and pace of the Grade 5-6 entries. She encourages all those who entered the contest to keep writing. She served KAC for four years (2010-13) as Youth Contest Manager. Subsequently, she has served as a judge for the youth contest several times and is currently KAC Vice President. She has been named KAC Poet of the Year three times, most recently October 2021.
POETRY: GRADES 3-4
1st A School Day, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
2nd How Your Kitty Loves You, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
3rd Soccer, Ronin Rohrback
Honorable Mention: Doggies, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
POETRY: GRADES 5-6
1st Some Rain, Cassandra Northerns
2nd Snowboarding, Eli Sun
3rd What is Art?, Adain Smith
Honorable Mention: A Family, Addison Buck
Honorable Mention: Spring Returns, Cassandra Northerns
Judge Roy Beckemeyer
Poetry: Grades 7-8 and Grades 9-12
Roy Beckemeyer is a past-President of the Kansas Authors Club and was KAC Poet of the Year for a number of years. He has four books of poetry published and his poems appear in poetry anthologies as well as in print and online poetry and literary publications. He is a retired engineer and scientific journal editor and has studied fossil insects for over 20 years.
POETRY: GRADES 7-8
1st The Rose Gardener’s Poem, Madeline Male
2nd The Old Fashioned Family Farm, Madeline Male
3rd (TIE) Jawbreaker, Kane Johnson
3rd (TIE) Hay Season, Jack Etzel
Honorable Mention: Weightless, Campbell Hight
Honorable Mention: You are Not Alone, Haley Reiff
Honorable Mention: Women’s Rights Section, El Shipman
Honorable Mention: Lady Acrobat, Ava Von Lintel
Honorable Mention: Haiku, Eli Replolgle
Honorable Mention: I Have to Know, Katherine Stancil, Member District 2
Honorable Mention: Dancer’s Dilemma, Arielle Li
Honorable Mention: The Weather, Aubrey Wilkinson
Honorable Mention: Grandmother, Ansley Bear
Honorable Mention: Lineage Poem, Sophia Goombi
Honorable Mention: Family Poem, Cael Frazier
Honorable Mention: Lineage, Wyatt Schields
Honorable Mention: The First and the Last, Briar Page
Honorable Mention: Fortnite, Landon Hernandez
Honorable Mention: The Past Menace, Rhevl Murphy
Honorable Mention: Mamba Mentality, Kerrick DeDonder
Honorable Mention: July 4th, Emily Ditzler
Honorable Mention: Pancakes, Emily Ditzler
Honorable Mention: Fire Absorbing You, Abigail Bael-Wyrick
Honorable Mention: The Rain Bombardment, Amelia Gurney
POETRY: GRADES 9-12
1st Childhood Best Friend, Isobel Li
2nd A Box for a Body, Isobel Li
Honorable Mention: You Said, Arabella Gipp
Poetry: Grades 7-8 and Grades 9-12
Roy Beckemeyer is a past-President of the Kansas Authors Club and was KAC Poet of the Year for a number of years. He has four books of poetry published and his poems appear in poetry anthologies as well as in print and online poetry and literary publications. He is a retired engineer and scientific journal editor and has studied fossil insects for over 20 years.
POETRY: GRADES 7-8
1st The Rose Gardener’s Poem, Madeline Male
2nd The Old Fashioned Family Farm, Madeline Male
3rd (TIE) Jawbreaker, Kane Johnson
3rd (TIE) Hay Season, Jack Etzel
Honorable Mention: Weightless, Campbell Hight
Honorable Mention: You are Not Alone, Haley Reiff
Honorable Mention: Women’s Rights Section, El Shipman
Honorable Mention: Lady Acrobat, Ava Von Lintel
Honorable Mention: Haiku, Eli Replolgle
Honorable Mention: I Have to Know, Katherine Stancil, Member District 2
Honorable Mention: Dancer’s Dilemma, Arielle Li
Honorable Mention: The Weather, Aubrey Wilkinson
Honorable Mention: Grandmother, Ansley Bear
Honorable Mention: Lineage Poem, Sophia Goombi
Honorable Mention: Family Poem, Cael Frazier
Honorable Mention: Lineage, Wyatt Schields
Honorable Mention: The First and the Last, Briar Page
Honorable Mention: Fortnite, Landon Hernandez
Honorable Mention: The Past Menace, Rhevl Murphy
Honorable Mention: Mamba Mentality, Kerrick DeDonder
Honorable Mention: July 4th, Emily Ditzler
Honorable Mention: Pancakes, Emily Ditzler
Honorable Mention: Fire Absorbing You, Abigail Bael-Wyrick
Honorable Mention: The Rain Bombardment, Amelia Gurney
POETRY: GRADES 9-12
1st Childhood Best Friend, Isobel Li
2nd A Box for a Body, Isobel Li
Honorable Mention: You Said, Arabella Gipp
Our annual contests for youth and adults open April 1 of each year and close on June 15. Guidelines are updated each year, so be sure to check for any updates after the first of the year before entering.
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