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Winners of the 2026 Randall Albers Young Writers Awards

Among the nearly 200 submissions in this the fourth year of the RAYWA contest, there were many, many worthwhile poetry and prose pieces. Poetry judge Timothy David Rey and prose judge Megan Stielstra had the difficult but happy task of selecting the best of the best as this year's prize winners. All winners will receive cash prizes and certificates at the recognition ceremony on Saturday, April 18 at the Harold Washington Library Center's Reception Hall (400 S. State Street, Chicago). Ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m., with a reception to follow. The ceremony is free and open to the public; register now. 

POETRY WINNERS

First Place: "Abecedarian Appeal" by Chloe Xu 

School: Adlai E. Stevenson High School

Grade: 11th 

Second Place: "Seagull Yahtzee" by Liam Benham 

School: The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts)

Grade: 11th 

Third Place: "Bilingual" by Anna Sofia Vargas 

School: East Leyden

Grade: 9th

Fourth Place: "Mount Helicon" by Camila Ortiz

School: Lincoln Park High School 

Grade: 12th

PROSE WINNERS

First Place: "Daisy is Waiting for Us" by Lucille Malloy 

School: DePaul College Prep

Grade: 11th

Second Place: "Half Present Moments Among Lasting Memories" by Vanessa Anda 

School: John Hancock College Prep

Grade: 12th 

Third Place: "The Sanity Memorial Center" by Nate Schieber 

School: Walter Payton College Prep 

Grade: 9th 

Fourth Place: "The Cartography of Almost" by Kabir Singh 

School: Stevenson High School

Grade: 9th

Honorable Mention: "First Days of Summer" by Lucille Hachtel

School: Senn High School 

Grade: 11th 

Honorable Mention: "The Birth of a Siren" by Livee Pohlmann 

School: Lincoln-Way West 

Grade: 10th

Congratulations to all the winners, as well as all the others who submitted outstanding work to this year's competition. 

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