10th Anniversary Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards Ceremony
Lineage and Legacies
When
Sep 19, 2026
1:00pm–3:00pm
Cost
Free.
Registration is required.
On Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, we will celebrate the winners of the 10th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards.
A record-breaking 1,063 poems were submitted to this year's competition in grades K-12. 25 winners and 12 honorable mentions from across Illinois will be awarded at the ceremony.
As part of the 10th Anniversary of the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards, we will honor “Lineage and Legacies.” This program exists because of the 32-year commitment of Gwendolyn Brooks, the decade-long support of the Illinois poetry community that gathers each year to witness and celebrate youth voices, and the young poets who breathe life into the future of poetic expression in Illinois.
We are excited to celebrate everyone who has brought us to this moment, including this year's winners and honorable mentions, those touched by Gwendolyn Brooks' legacy, and past winners, honorable mentions, submitters, teachers, and judges of the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards.
During this celebration, this year's winning poets will read their poems onstage. This year's honorable mentions will have their name and poem title read by the emcee and stand to be recognized.
For more information, please contact us at poetry@ilhumanities.org.
More About...
Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
The venue is located on the University of Chicago's campus at 915 East 60th Street (at Drexel Avenue).
Directions and Parking
Directions
Public Transportation:
- The closest CTA Bus routes are 2, 4, X28, 59, 63, and 192. The venue is near the CTA Red line as well.
- Metra Electric Line provides service to the 59th Street Station.
Driving Direction:
Get driving directions here.
Parking
- Limited street parking is available around the University of Chicago campus.
- A paid parking garage is accessible at Drexel Ave and 61st Street. The garage rate is $4 per hour with a $20 maximum fee per day. Accessible parking spaces are located near the elevators.
- The Wells parking lot on Drexel Ave and 60th St is free to the public on weekends. This lot includes accessible parking spaces.
Drop Off
North Entrance is accessible, and drop-offs are permitted. Ramp is located next to stairs. Located at 915 E. 60th Street, between S. Drexel Avenue and S. Ingleside Avenue.
Accessibility
- The venue is wheelchair accessible.
- If you require accommodations to participate in this event fully, please contact Zerline Thompson at events@ilhumanities.org at least 72 hours before the event.
Notice of Filming and Photography
This event will be photographed and filmed. By attending this event, you consent to photography and video recording by Illinois Humanities and its affiliates and representatives.
The Winners...
2026
Kindergarten
- Winner: Evelyn Lee, “Happy Birthday, Mom!” (Chicago)
- Winner: Louise McDonald, “In the City” (Frankfort)
- Honorable Mention: Emi Lee-Saotome, “Special Time” (Chicago)
1st Grade
- Winner: Yimi Li, “Octopus” (Chicago)
- Winner: Manshu Wang, “Violin” (Chicago)
- Honorable Mention: Gus Crews-Cunningham, “I Wish” (Chicago)
2nd Grade
- Winner: Sanaa Shipley Bey, “Brighter Than the Sky” (Peoria)
- Winner: Everly Kipp, “The Earth” (Chicago)
- Honorable Mention: Caleb Cohen, “Beautiful Planet” (Chicago)
3rd Grade
- Winner: Yamila Walker-Martin, “Black Girl Magic” (Chicago)
- Winner: Judah Walters, “The Mystery of Life” (Chicago)
- Honorable Mention: Mariam Fitzgerald, “Nope Not Today” (Chicago)
4th Grade
- Winner: Nihira Vuppala, “The Copper Secret” (Naperville)
- Winner: Mia Bajaras, “My Beautiful Mexico” (Chicago)
- Honorable Mention: Henry Darchowsky, “Grassy Melodic Chant” (Skokie)
5th Grade
- Winner: Jane Cavanaugh, “Pa” (Chicago)
- Winner: Fatima Syeda, “My trip to Pakistan” (Libertyville)
- Honorable Mention: Youning Wu, “Hurricane” (Chicago)
6th Grade
- Winner: Jack Shoemaker, “The City” (Chicago)
- Winner: Mackenzie Wakeland, “Numbers in Place of Names” (Mt. Zion)
- Honorable Mention: Lizzy Nicolae, “Unpocketed Questions” (Burr Ridge)
*Denotes a previous winner or honorable mention
7th Grade
- Winner: Daniel Kutcher, “Bugs in a net” (Chicago)
- Winner: Aisha Hashmi, “Desi Girl in an American World” (Oswego)
- Honorable Mention: Holiday Boldon, “Ode to Garbage” (La Grange Park)
8th Grade
- Winner: Jaila Coleman, “Empty Shell of a Body” (Chicago)
- Winner: Jackson Best, “Standing While the World Burns” (Skokie)*
- Honorable Mention: Katherine Johns, “A Familiar Sight” (Chicago)
9th Grade
- Winner: Raahil Lakha, “Sometimes” (Skokie)
- Winner: Addie Mitchell, “The Locksmiths” (Aurora)
- Honorable Mention: Vaishnavi Manchala, “Say it Again” (Oswego)
10th Grade
- Winner: Samir Salomov, “This Feeling — Again” (Aurora)
- Winner: Sean Conner, “Never” (Colfax)
- Honorable Mention: E. Antonow, “Shark Week” (Chicago)
11th Grade
- Winner: Lillian ODonnell, “What We Carry Home” (Collinsville)
- Winner: Samantha Alvarez, “A Saplings Song” (Chicago)
- Honorable Mention: Leonidas Leigh, “footnotes” (Oswego)*
12th Grade
- Winner: Hannah O'Keefe, “Blonde” (Palatine)
- Winner: Ainsley Laos, “The Flip of a Coin” (Oswego)
- Honorable Mention: Sophia Pan, “Triptych for how I open” (Lincolnshire)
*Denotes a previous winner or honorable mention
Previous
Download a chapbook or list to read the poems of previous winners.
Want an earlier listing of winners? Contact us.
About the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards
This annual competition honors the legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks and the creativity of K-12 writers in Illinois by creating a platform for the next generation of poets to share their voices and develop their craft. Submissions are open January 1 to May 1 of each year, and winners are announced in August. Winners receive a prize package and are invited to celebrate at an awards ceremony in Chicago.
Funders
Partners
Register for This Event
NOTE: If you are a winning poet, an honorable mention, or a family member, please register here.
Contact
Suite 650, 125 South Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60603
312.422.5580 312.374.6787 Fax
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