2025 Ekphrastic Poetry Contest

The 2025 ruth weiss Poetry Contest invited poets, filmmakers, and artists to honor the life and legacy of pioneering Beat Generation poet, playwright, and filmmaker ruth weiss. Participants created ekphrastic poetry and poetry films inspired by visual art and themes drawn from her work, with submissions judged in three categories: Maverick, Emerging, and Youth. We received poetry and cinepoem entries from artists around the world, reflecting a wide range of voices and creative perspectives.

Monetary awards were presented to recognize outstanding work, including $1,500 for the Maverick Winner, $1,000 for the Emerging Winner, and $500 for the Youth Winner, along with two Honorable Mentions at $200 each and a Founder’s Award of $200.

The Maverick-winning entry was featured in Caesura, a respected Bay Area literary magazine, with publication of the poem.

Through poetry, visual art, and film, the contest continued ruth weiss’ creative legacy and highlighted the powerful intersections between artistic mediums.

Dagne Forrest
Maverick Winner