39 Illinois students honored in celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks’ legacy of poetry, creativity, and recognizing young voices
CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Illinois Humanities, in partnership with Brooks Permissions, the Poetry Foundation, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, is proud to announce the winners of the 10th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards, an annual competition celebrating Illinois poets in grades K-12.
The 2026 class includes 26 young poets and 13 honorable mentions, representing communities across Illinois, including Chicago, Peoria, Oswego, Skokie, Aurora, Collinsville, Colfax, Frankfort, Libertyville, Mt. Zion, Naperville, Palatine, Lincolnshire, and Burr Ridge.
This year’s winners and honorable mentions were selected from 1,063 submissions representing 186 schools across Illinois, the largest submission class since Illinois Humanities revived the program in 2017, continuing a tradition of uplifting youth voices that Brooks began in 1969.
At the heart of the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards is the belief that the perspectives of young people are essential to understanding the world around us. Each year, their poetry provides insight into the ideas, experiences, and questions that shape their lives. This year’s winning poems explore themes of family, identity, heritage, belonging, place, and the natural world, reflecting deeply personal experiences and offering insight into how this generation is engaging with the world around them.
“Gwendolyn Brooks understood that young people have something important to say, and that adults have a responsibility to listen,” said Gabrielle H. Lyon, Executive Director of Illinois Humanities. “Ten years after Illinois Humanities revived these awards, young poets continue to surprise us, challenge us, and remind us what is possible when we give young people the space to find and share their voices. We are incredibly proud to celebrate this year’s poets and carry the Brooks’s legacy forward.”
The Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards competition runs annually from January to May and is open to all Illinois students in grades K-12. Winners receive a monetary prize, publication in an annual chapbook, and the opportunity to share their work during the annual awards ceremony.
The 2026 winning poets and honorable mentions will be celebrated at the 10th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards Celebration on Saturday, September 19, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago.
To learn more about the awards and the 2026 winners visit www.ilhumanities.org/events/2026-poetry-ceremony.
The 2026 Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Award Winners:
KINDERGARTEN
- “Happy Birthday, Mom!” by Evelyn Lee, Chicago
- “In the City” by Louise McDonald, Frankfort
- Honorable Mention: “Special Time” by Emi Lee-Saotome, Chicago
FIRST GRADE
- “Octopus” by Yimi Li, Chicago
- “Violin” by Manshu Wang, Chicago
- Honorable Mention: “I Wish” by Gus Crews-Cunningham, Chicago
SECOND GRADE
- “The Earth” by Everly Kipp, Chicago
- “Brighter Than the Sky” by Sanaa Shipley Bey, Peoria
- Honorable Mention: “Beautiful Planet” by Caleb Cohen, Chicago
THIRD GRADE
- “Black Girl Magic” by Yamila Walker-Martin, Chicago
- “The Mystery of Life” by Judah Walters, Chicago
- Honorable Mention: “Nope Not Today” by Mariam Fitzgerald, Chicago
FOURTH GRADE
- “The Copper Secret” by Nihira Vuppala, Naperville
- “My Beautiful Mexico” by Mia Barajas, Chicago
- Honorable Mention: “Grassy Melodic Chant” by Henry Darchowsky, Skokie
FIFTH GRADE
- “Pa” by Jane Cavanaugh, Chicago
- “My trip to Pakistan” by Fatima Syeda, Libertyville
- Honorable Mention: “Hurricane” by Youning Wu, Chicago
SIXTH GRADE
- “The City” by Jack Shoemaker, Chicago
- “Numbers in Place of Names” by Mackenzie Wakeland, Mt. Zion
- Honorable Mention: “Unpocketed Questions” by Lizzy Nicolae, Burr Ridge
SEVENTH GRADE
- “Bugs in a net” by Daniel Kutcher, Chicago
- “Desi Girl In An American World” by Aisha Hashmi, Oswego
- Honorable Mention: “Ode to Garbage” by Holiday Boldon, La Grange Park
EIGHTH GRADE
- “Empty Shell of a Body” by Jaila Coleman, Chicago
- “Standing While The World Burns” by Jackson Best, Skokie
- Honorable Mention: “A Familiar Sight” by Katherine Johns, Chicago
NINTH GRADE
- “Sometimes” by Raahil Lakha, Skokie
- “The Locksmiths” by Addie Mitchell, Aurora
- Honorable Mention: “Say it Again” by Vaishnavi Manchala, Oswego
TENTH GRADE
- “This Feeling — Again” by Samir Salomov, Aurora
- “Never” by Sean Connor, Colfax
- Honorable Mention: “Shark Week” by E. Antonow, Chicago
ELEVENTH GRADE
- “What We Carry Home” by Lillian ODonnell, Collinsville
- “A Saplings Song” by Samantha Alvarez, Chicago
- Honorable Mention: “footnotes” by Leonidas Leigh, Oswego
TWELFTH GRADE
- “Blonde” by Hannah O’Keefe, Palatine
- “The Flip of a Coin” by Ainsley Laos, Oswego
- Honorable Mention: “Triptych for how I open” by Sophia Pan, Lincolnshire
About Illinois Humanities
Illinois Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that spark conversation, foster reflection, build community, and strengthen civic engagement for everyone in Illinois. We provide free, high-quality humanities experience throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. Founded in 1974, we are the state partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities and supported by state, federal, and private funds.
Learn more at ilhumanities.org and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn @ILHumanities.
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SOURCE Illinois Humanities
