Drumroll, please! We are thrilled to announce the winners of our 2024 Poetry Contest. A huge congratulations to the following three poets whose works were handpicked by esteemed judge, Rafeef Ziadah. Enough waiting: here are the three winners!
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FIRST PLACE: Final Remarks, by Junxin Tang
“This poem is a masterclass in the delicate balance between language, form, and emotion. It is touching not just in its content, but in the precise, deliberate way it navigates the rawness of death and survival.” — Judge Rafeef Ziadah
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SECOND PLACE: Daughters of Palestine’s Diaspora, by Leena Halees
Leena Halees is a Palestinian writer, human rights advocate, community organizer, spoken word poet, and founder of the grassroots nonprofit organization, We Liberate the World. Her work is published in Soul in Space Magazine, Muchacha Zine, and Homesick Zine (forthcoming).
“The poem resonates deeply in its exploration of language as both a refuge and a battleground, where the mother tongue—lost, distorted, yet fiercely held—becomes an act of resistance. Through beautiful yet defiant lines and images, it confronts the erasure of identity, reclaiming the power of ancestral memory and the untold stories of Palestinian survival.” — Judge Rafeef Ziadah
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THIRD PLACE: The Air Itself is One Vast Library, by Jessica Lee McMillan
Jessica Lee McMillan (she/her) is a poet and teacher. She has an English MA and creative writing certificate from The Writer’s Studio (SFU). Read her recent/forthcoming poems in The Malahat Review, Crab Creek Review, QWERTY, CV2 and Canadian Literature. Jessica lives on the land of the Halkomelem-speaking Peoples with her little family and large dog.
“This poem powerfully captures the tension between air, breath and toxicity, both personal and external in the current climate. The form perfectly mirrors this tension: fragmented lines and deliberate pauses echo the difficulty of breathing and the effort to reclaim clarity amidst the chaos. The pacing makes the impact of the poem both visceral and profound.” — Judge Rafeef Ziadah
A huge congratulations to these poets on this exciting achievement: be sure to check out Jessica’s third place poem, available now on our website via the link above!
As we’ve said before, a big thank you to every writer who trusted our collective and judge Rafeef Ziadah, with their poems. It takes courage to put your writing forward for scrutiny, and we encourage you to keep at your craft.
Finally, a big thank you to our judge, Rafeef for the time and care put into selecting a shortlist and these three winners. We receive an incredible amount of submissions to our Poetry Contest each year, and we know how much time, effort, and genuine care goes into selecting winners, especially when so many pieces are so excellent. Rafeef, we are so grateful for your time and energy.
In case you missed the previous announcements, you can check out our Poetry longlist and shortlist, here.
Room‘s annual Poetry Contest will open again in June 2025.
