2024 Randall Albers Young Writers Award Ceremony & Open Mic

The Randall Albers Young Writers Award was back for its second year. On Saturday, May 11, we presented awards to young writers of both prose and poetry and listened as they read aloud from their work. We were joined by families, friends, teachers, and a host of notable Chicago writers. It was a touching and entertaining way to welcome our new generation of great Chicago writers. In addition to the awards ceremony, we showcased other young voices, many who’d won honorable mention certificates, in a post-ceremony open mic.

 

Poetry, 1^st through 4^th Place:

• 1^st Place: Liam Benham, “The Herring Net – Winslow Homer”
• 2^nd Place: Morgan Montoya, “What They Won’t Tell You in the Dictionary”
• 3^rd Place: Fiona Jin, “Hauntings”
• 4^th Place: Gabe Cadichon, “Nantucket”

Poetry, Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

• Mila Ponce, “Waning Infancy”
• Hannah Smith, “Love, Hannah”
• Lillian O’Callaghan, “Mississippi River Leeches”
• Ananya Ramji, “Kindergarten”
• Maia Pereyra, “A Different Grape”
• Ashish Prince, “Echoes of Change”

Prose, 1^st through 4^th Place:

• 1^st Place: Hazel Brown, “Harboring”
• 2^nd Place: Charlotte Hensley, “Inviolable”
• 3^rd Place: Rainey Reese, “On Innocence and Black Youth”
• 4^th Place: Reghan Barnard, “Dogeye”

Prose, Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

• Mateo Burgos, “Halo Rich”
• Dylan McGee, “What Blooms/Flurryheads”
• Izzy Thurman, “The Art of Insanity”
• Luke Montzka, “Concert Hall”
• Eva Rodriguez, “Nothing Ever Lasts Forever: The Mean Lady Who Called Me A Dog”
• Estelle Wong, “The Face Thief”

 

To Support the Randall Albers Young Writers Award

Please consider supporting Chicago’s young writers by making a tax-deductible donation here, or by sending a check to: Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, 4043 N. Ravenswood Ave., #222, Chicago, IL 60613. (Please note your preference to designate your donation to the Randall Albers Young Writers Award.)

2024 Randall Albers Young Writers Award Ceremony