"I would like to thank poets and mentors Philip Schultz, Mary Stewart Hammond, James Ragan, Hermine MeinharD, and playwright Spence Porter for their friendship and support. I am also grateful to the editors of the following publications, where my poems, sometimes in earlier versions, have appeared or will appear, and the judges and staff of poetry contests, listed below, who have granted me awards."
-Paula Brancato

  • 2008 Robinson Jeffers Tor House Prize for Poetry – “Her Grandfather”

  • pacificREVIEW 2007-2008 and 2007 Brushfire Chapbook Award selected by Ilya Kaminsky – “Dar a Luz”, “She Is”, “El Mozote Massacre El Salvador”, “Mistaken Identity”, “Friend”, “Snarky Aside”, “September 11th”, “Gloria”, “Nothing More to Say”, “A Short Film in 6 Acts”, and “Nana Rose”

  • May Swenson Poetry Award 2008 – Club Paradise, poetry book finalist

  • The Southern California Anthology 2008: “Demons”

  • Mary Anka Press 2008: “Astronaut”

  • Ann Stafford Prize and Tennessee Writers Alliance 2007 contest: “Dar a Luz” Honorable mention

  • Best of the Net Anthology 2007 – “A Short Film in 6 Acts”

  • Lily Press, 2007– “A Short Film in 6 Acts”

  • New Millennium Writers Award 2007 – “El Mozote Massacre, El Salvador”

  • The Georgetown Review, Summer 2007: “Michael”

  • Future Cycle Poetry, Spring 2007: “There is a Peace That Exists in Sky”

  • Lily Literary Review, May 2007: “A Short Film in 6 Acts”

  • Balticon 41 Award 2007 – “Astronaut”

  • The Litchfield Review, Summer 2006: “Isolde”

  • Natchez Poetry Anthology 2006: “Bookends” and “Things that Happen in the Dark”

  • Rattle Magazine, Spring 2003: “Dar a Luz”

  • Inkwell 2002 – “Earth” (aka Astronaut)

  • Unisong 2000 finalist (song lyric and composition): “Hand-flowers”

  • The Writers Studio, Disconnections 2000: “Love Bites”

  • Pacific Northwest Writers Association, 1999: “Michael”, “The Sacrifice”, “Hand-flowers” and “Love Bites”.

  • Asheville Writers Workshop award 1998: “Hand-flowers”

  • Chester H. Jones Foundation, 1998 National Poetry Competition award winner, 2nd place: “Michael”

  • Faulkner Award, 1998: “Love Bites”

  • Poetry Guild Award, 1998: “A Marriage”

  • The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award "The Only Time I Cried at the Gym"

  • The Writer Summer Flash Contest 2021 - "Mr. Parsons and Raspberry Tea"

  • Writer's Digest August 2021 - "7PM Shout Out"

  • 2020 MicroFiction Award - "Mr. Parsons"

  • Cutthroat 25-Finalist 2019 Rick DeMarinis Short Story Prize - "The Second First Time"

  • The Danahy Fiction Prize: Ten Years/Ten Stories 2018-Executive Spa

  • Bellingham Review's Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction, 2016, finalist - Tati

  • Danahy Fiction Prize 2015 - Tampa Review- short story Executive Spa

  • Booth Poetry Prize 2015 - "The Only Time I Ever Cried at the Gym"

  • Ropewalk Press - Semi-Finalist Fiction Chapbook Prize 2015 - short story Executive Spa

  • River Styx International Poetry Award - Finalist 2014 – “Nana Rose”, “Michele”, and “Shopping with Nana”.

  • Saturday’s Child Press - Finalist 2014- short story published Red Hot Broken Girl

  • Saturday’s Child Press - Finalist 2014- short story published Red Hot Broken Girl

  • bosque (the magazine) – 2013 Award Runner Up – published short story First Kiss

  • Myrrh, Mothwing, Smoke: Erotic Poems 2013 – “The Last Time” - Finalist in the Tupelo Press Winter 2012 Poetry Project

  • Red Hen Press 2012– First Kiss (Short story Finalist)

  • Best of The Writer 2012 – Create the Right Screenplay Structure

  • Pen & Brush Anthology 2009 – Michael, short story – 2nd place

  • The following poems were performed off-off Broadway, as well as in various venues across the US:

    “Things That Happen in the Dark”, “Cargo Pilot”, “September 11th”, “Michael” and “Love Bites”