The North Carolina Poetry Society recently honored winners of its 2009 Adult and Student Contests in a day-long celebration held at Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities in Southern Pines.

Fuquay-Varina poet, Valerie J. Macon garnered honors in two Adult contest categories winning the first place Poetry of Courage Award as well as the third place Katherine Kennedy McIntyre Light Verse Award.

The Annual NCPS Poetry Contests consisted of nine categories for adults and five categories for students from third grade through undergraduate with all categories being judged by acclaimed, out-of-state poets. The Poet Laureate Award for adults featured a single prize of $100, with all other categories granting cash prizes varying from $50 to $10 for first, second, and third place winners.

First, second, third place and honorable mention winners of every category received an award certificate and complimentary copy of Pinesong Awards 2009, the NCPS anthology of award-winning poems.

First prize winners in the student categories also received an engraved trophy. This year’s winners, hailing from South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia,and more than 30 different towns and cities across North Carolina, were invited to read their winning poems during the Awards Day celebration at Weymouth Center in May.

Details about the annual contests, an assortment of contest-winning poems, and more information about the North Carolina Poetry Society in general can be found at the Society’s website, www.NCPoetrySociety. org .