Each year the League of Canadian Poets sponsors the prestigious National Poetry Contest. From the thousands of entries received, the judges choose three prize winners and a list of honourable mentions. These poems, the finest of the year, are then published in Vintage, the annual anthology.\n\nFor the year 2000, First-Prize Winner ($1,000) is Russell Thornton of North Vancouver, for \”The Beginnings of Stars.\” Second-Prize Winner ($750) is Sue MacLeod of Halifax for \”Especially for a Woman, Reading.\” Third-Prize Winner ($500) is Tammy Armstrong of Vancouver for \”A Proper Burial for Songbirds.\” Other well known poets in the collection are Jay Ruzesky, Eva Tihanyi and Patricia Young. Also included are the winners of the 2000 special competition for Canadian elementary and secondary school students.\n\nVintage 2000 is an ideal introduction to the vitality and diversity of the Canadian poetry community. Previous editions have been adopted widely for use in schools, colleges and universities.