Central Illinois students win state poetry prize, as host organization grapples with federal funding cuts

CERRO GORDO — Ninth grader Khloie Waterhouse wrote her poem about the difference one family member or friend can make.

Waterhouse’s poem, “Storm’s Coming,” won the 2025 Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Award. Illinois Humanities sponsors the contest and awards up to two winners and one honorable mention for each grade. Students from all over Illinois participate in the contest.

“It’s about people watching you and letting you fail without helping,” Waterhouse explained. “The flower at the end is meant to symbolize a person, like a friend or a family member, coming in and assisting you in whatever you’re struggling with.”

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Illinois Humanities vows to continue contest despite federal cuts

Illinois Humanities has used federal funding to host the contest in the past. This year, the organization had to pool state and private dollars to make up for federal funding cuts.

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What do the students think?

All of the central Illinois winners liked the experience of the contest.

Maddy Willard is also a ninth grader at Cerro Gordo Junior/Senior High School. She won honorable mention for her poem, “Sculpted Lies,” about the trapped feeling of a wooden puppet. She drew from her and her classmates’ feelings that as teenagers, someone else is pulling their strings.

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Champaign eighth grader Eli Teper won his grade’s award for his poem, “A Last Effort,” about how he wishes his cat’s last moments had gone. 

The Jefferson Middle Schooler said the Trump administration’s shift away from spending on the arts towards its priorities like immigrationenforcement is wrong. 

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View the full list of winners