Princeton University’s Program in Creative Writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020-21 Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize.
The prize, awarded annually, recognizes outstanding work by student writers in the 11th grade in the U.S. or abroad. The winning poems were selected by a jury consisting of Program in Creative Writing faculty, including Michael Dickman, Paul Muldoon, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, James Richardson, Tracy K. Smith, Susan Wheeler, and Monica Youn.
The winner of first prize is awarded $500, followed by $250 for second prize and $100 for third prize. The winners will be honored during a private virtual celebration on Monday, April 12th.
View the list of honored students below and read their prize-winning poems. Eighteen additional students were awarded honorable mentions.
First Place:
Gaia Rajan, “Simple Machines”
Mason, Ohio
Second Place:
Olivia Yang, “Etymology of Loss”
Charlotte, North Carolina
Third Place:
Olajuwon Abdullah Adedokun, “Photosynthesis”
Lagos/Alimosho/Igando, Nigeria
Honorable Mentions:
Nicholas Budny, “The Séance”
Princeton, New Jersey
Cole Corby, “Gammie”
Howell, Michigan
S.L. Franjola, “Love Poem for a Schoolboy”
New York, New York
Sierra Glassman, “Hum”
Watsonville, California
Emma Goss, “Simple Liberty”
Sherman Oaks, California
Emmalene Hardouin, “A little too melodramatic for my taste”
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Yong-Yu Huang, “RADIUM GIRLS”
Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia
Shreya Khullar, “The Hindi Word for Prayer”
Iowa City, Iowa
Anna LaCombe, “What We Never Saw”
Plainfield, Illinois
Allison Lowe, “The End of the World is Broadcast Live on Cable News”
Pleasant Hill, California
Oliver Moore, “i’m sleep”
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Goodman Murphy-Smith, “Open Window”
Indian Springs Village, Alabama
Logan Szymanski, “Fallen Timber”
Howell, Michigan
Yvanna Vien Tica, “Three Days Without Resurrection”
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Lucy Wang, “Humanity’s Light”
Oxford, Ohio
Katherine Wei, “Growing Pains”
Chandler, Arizona
Thisbe Wu, “The Roach In My Bed”
New York, New York
Isabella Zhou, “Sermon”
Naperville, Illinois
Learn more about the Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize, including guidelines and updates on future contests »
