The grand winner of the Sundowner Writing Contest 2026 is:

FRAGILE HUNGER - JENNY HART

Jenny Hart is an accomplished author, storyteller, and entrepreneur whose work traverses the boundaries of dark fantasy, children’s literature, and evocative poetry. She is the author of the young adult novel Blood Moon in Black Hollow and the short story The Lexicon House, with additional work featured in numerous literary outlets including Amethyst Review and various anthologies through Wingless Dreamer Lit. Beyond the page, Jenny is the founder of Hart to Heart LLC, a creative boutique that harmonizes her passion for original literature with curated clothing and accessories. Her professional background is marked by a deep commitment to service and technical innovation; she is a certified peer support counselor and is currently pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in AI Software Engineering at Maestro. This rare intersection of psychological insight and technical precision defines her unique narrative voice. Whether she is developing her latest children’s manuscript or exploring the complexities of human connection, Jenny remains dedicated to the ritual of storytelling and the beauty found in life's "in-between" moments.

The first runner-up is

SUNDOWNER - HEIDI

Heidi is a contemporary poet whose writing explores the tender spaces between heartbreak and healing. Her work moves through love, loss, growth and self-rediscovery with honesty and quiet strength, offering readers words for feelings they often struggle to name. Blending vulnerability with resilience, she writes for the hearts that loved deeply, let go slowly, and are learning to rise again. Rooted in lived experience, her poetry embraces both the ache and the awakening — the chaos and the calm — with a voice that is raw, reflective and deeply human. She believes even the heaviest seasons can soften into light, and that sharing our truth is one of the bravest forms of healing.

The second runner-up is

BURNT SIENNA - T. ALLEN BURNETT

T. Allen Burnett is a high school chemistry teacher in New Jersey who returned to poetry writing in July 2025 after a 37-year hiatus. His work has been accepted for publication in Wingless Dreamer's anthology I Don't Feel Anything. His poems explore trauma, desire, heritage, and the complexities of identity and recovery. He draws from his North Carolina roots and his experiences navigating gender, sexuality, and family violence. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, Crystal.

Here are our top finalists

THE DESTRUCTION OF A FAMILY UNIT, MAIN CHARACTERIZED ENERGY - REEBIE ANN FLOWERS

Email: Focused259@gmail.com Instagram: viewerzchoice35 Spotify: The Poetic Plug Books: Progress Over Perfection 2023, Manifested as I Waited 2024, #Laced 2024, Queenish 2026. A Dozen featured Publications with Wingless Dreamer Publisher. Also, can find me in many Online Literary works such as A Freed Butterfly, which is featured with The Perch in The Social Volume 8, 2026. Diamond’s That Can’t be Tested has been selected with the Red Rose Throne Volume 26, 2026.

STRT 2 VM - PATRICK TROMBLY

Patrick Trombly re-emerged as a publishing poet in 2025, after several decades. Representative publishers include Loch Raven Review, The Closed Eye Open, Beyond Words and In Parentheses, as well as several themed anthologies, including Wingless Dreamer anthologies. He lives and works in Manhattan.

LOVE’S LAST SUNSET - TANIA PRZYWARA

Tania Przywara is an American poet with works published in the anthologies Breath of Love and The Book of Black by Wingless Dreamer Publisher, among many others, as well as in Volumes 2 and 3 of Through Loving Words by City Limits Publishing. A classical pianist, composer, and photographer as well, Przywara often finds that her passions intertwine with each other. Above all, Przywara aims to express the beauty of life and love through her original works and inspire others to live ever more deeply and authentically. Learn more at taniaprzywara.com.

GLOAMING - HOWARD OSBORNE

Howard has written poetry and short stories, also a novel and several scripts. With poems published online and in print, he is a published author of a non-fiction reference book and several scientific papers many years ago. He is a UK citizen, retired, with interests in writing, music and travel.

THE BREATH OF JUNE - BROOKE BUZZEO

Brooke Buzzeo is a Massachusetts-based writer and college student from Connecticut. Her work centers on fiction and poetry, and she is currently developing a novel set in a dystopian America. When she’s not writing, she plays softball and documents the world around her through photography.

WANING PASSIONS - JENNIFER WEIGEL

Multi-disciplinary mixed media conceptual artist Jennifer Weigel lives in Kansas, USA. Weigel is an avid art collector and enjoys playing board and role-playing games, junk store thrifting, and mail art. Her kindred animal is the deer though if she were a dog she’d be a beagle. Weigel’s favorite foods are unagi don or broiled calamari steak and frosting with or without cake. Weigel was previously a staff writer for Haunted MTL and is now involved with Weird Wyrlds. She serves on the Board of Nat 1 Publishing. Author of Witch Hayzelle’s Recipes for Disaster trilogy and a myriad of short stories, poems, art discourse, and more drifting around the Interwebs. Learn more on her website here. https://jenniferweigelart.com/

ETERNAL TO US - JARED JONES

Jared Jones is an unpublished poet and aspiring novelist from Houston, Texas. He has long been drawn to reading and the weight of the written word. He is a father of two, including a six-year-old non-verbal autistic son whose has deeply re-shaped his perspective on connection, patience, and empathy. Much of his work begins in quiet, everyday moments, often sitting in the yard as his son plays with his wife and daughter. He enjoys the beach, walking in the park, and woodworking—spaces that offer reflection and often influence the tone of his writing.

2019 - ANNA LINONIS

Anna Linonis is a student at the University of Notre Dame. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, her work has previously appeared in The New Ohio Review, Strike Magazine, Beyond Words Magazine, and The Juggler.

And here are our contributors:

GREAT JOURNEYS, WE FLIRT WITH DEATH - LINA BUIVIDAVIČIŪTĖ

MY LOVE AND I - A.J. CHILSON

RETURN - RYAN RAHMAN

VANISH - JD DEL REY

AWAKE TONIGHT - LOCKLYN WILCHYNSKI

INSTEAD OF RED - RACHEL ECK

IN THE LINE TO VOTE - TERRY BRINKMAN

OBSTACLES WE ARE BOUND TO LOSE, LIFE ITSELF, THE TRUTH - LEOTIS LAMAR HARGROVE

KLEE LISTENS TO THE MOONLIGHT SONATA - LARA DOLPHIN

DESIRE FROM DISAPPEARING LIGHT - ALEX ANDY PHUONG

YOU CAN ALWAYS KEEP FALLING IN LOVE - ANDY BETZ

DUSK BECOMES DARKNESS - STEVE GERSON

THE LIGHT BETWEEN US - HOLLY KEEHN

THE SUN AND HIS HYACINTH - CARA TOBIN

THIS MOMENT - CRYSTAL JAMES

AT THE HOUR OF SURRENDER - ASHOK JAHAGIRDAR

ANOTHER RAIN SOAKED LOVE LETTER - THOMAS KORON

IT ALL MADE SENSE - MRINZ ELLIS

THIS ISN’T RAGE - MALCOM WINTON

TWILIGHT SKY - RENO JJ

SUNSHINE - EVA NEMIROVSKY

ET TAMEN - SOFIA LOYOLA

TIME AND SPACE - MAKANI SPEIER-BRITO

TIME IS SUPPOSED TO FIX THINGS - DINA

ONE DAY I WILL BECOME A GOLDFISH - PIPER BJERKE

DWINDLING DAYLIGHT - ALEXANDRA GRANT

BETWEEN PRAYERS AND DREAMS - RICHARD ERIC JOHNSON

THE FOREST - FAWN WALDRON

SAM. - ROY AKIYAMO

THE TRAIL TOWARDS A FAR AWAY HILL - ARDA ÜNAL

CAMELLIA - FRANCES AN

ONE EVENING DOWN BY THE GRAND CANAL IN DOLPHIN’S BARN - GAVIN BOURKE

THE SUN OWNER’S RITUAL - JORDAN CORLEY

THE CHEROKEE WORD FOR SISTER - BREANNA REYES

MIDNIGHT SUN IN GDANŚK - TETIANA YATSECHKO- BLAZHENKO

TWINKLE, TWINKLE WHERE’S THE STAR? - BAILEE RUDOLPH

MELTED IN YOUR ARMS - TAMARA PANTOVIĆ

THE SUNDOWNER’S WISDOM - ARAB AFFAN SAJID

A TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE - JAMILA ABDULLAH

LAST OF THE COWBOYS - R.T. NOTARO

Congratulations! Tonight, we celebrate talent.
Tonight, we celebrate storytelling.
Tonight, we celebrate YOU. 🌇✨

Drop your congratulations in the comments, and let’s make this a literary party to remember! Your Amazon Reviews matter. Help your favorite publishing community grow. Pretty please!