Read the Winning Entries for Poetry and Prose in the Latest Issue
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Green Mountain Power (GMP) and Vermont Magazine announced the winners of the 2023 Vermont Writers’ Prize, a top literary award in Vermont that honors local authors for their salutes to the state through poetry and prose. Robert Bernstein of Bristol won for the poem “Job Site Repair of Worn Out Glove,” which brings the bitter cold of Vermont winters to life, and Mary Alexandra Peet of Richmond won for “Searching for ‘The Donut Man,’” a reflection on the power of childhood memories of family, community, and Vermont summers.
“The Vermont Writer’s Prize is a true celebration of Vermont,” said Dr. Joshua Sherman, CEO of Old Mill Road Media and Publisher of Vermont Magazine. “This was a particularly competitive year with many worthy entries. We are grateful to the judges, and, as always, thankful that so many talented writers and poets shared their stories and reflections on Vermont with us.”
Each winner receives $1,250 and their work is published in the Summer edition of Vermont Magazine, which is on sale now.
“Vermont is an amazing place to call home – and living here can mean so many things to different people,” said Kristin Carlson, a GMP vice president and one of the judges. “It is a treat to see how writers center the state in their entries.”
The Vermont Writers’ prize has been honoring the art of capturing the spirit of the state through the written word for more three decades. The Prize was originally launched as a way to both celebrate Vermont and honor the legacy of historian Ralph Nading Hill, a Vermonter who also served for many years on GMP’s Board of Directors. Entries are now being accepted for the 2024 prize. You can enter online and find the details here through January 1, 2024.
About Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power serves more than 270,000 residential and business customers in Vermont with electricity that’s 100% carbon free and 78% renewable on an annual basis, and GMP is partnering with customers to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is providing solutions to cut carbon and is delivering electricity that is clean, affordable, and always on. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. In 2022, GMP was named to TIME’s list of the 100 Most Influential Companies. Fast Company named GMP one of the top five Most Innovative Companies in North America in 2022. GMP also earned a spot on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in the World list in the energy sector four years in a row, and in 2023 and 2021 the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) honored GMP as a nationwide leader in energy transformation.
