The Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards
Illinois Humanities
Celebrate the legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks and the creativity of K-12 writers in Illinois. These annual awards are a platform for the next generation of poets to share their voices and develop their craft.
The Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards honor the legacy of Illinois’ own Gwendolyn Brooks: renowned poet, author, and the first Black Pulitzer Prize winner. Each and every one of the young poets who take part in this competition is a part of that legacy. Brooks summed up the contest best in a note in 1977: “All the children who entered the contest are winners… They worked hard. They created. And that is what is important.”
Age: 4—19
Cost: FREE
Type: Online