Words Matter: 2024 Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards Ceremony

Dozens of young students, alongside their families and educators, walked through the doors of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts on September 14th, crossing into a creative, celebratory space dedicated to honoring poetic talent and self-expression. Though they appeared calm on the outside, the students were mentally and emotionally preparing to step on stage to recite their original poems in front of a rapt, eager audience. 

These students, from across Illinois, were all winners of the Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards (GBYPAs), a prestigious competition in which young people in grades K-12 submit an original poem for a chance to earn a legendary prize. Two winners and one honorable mention per school grade received a monetary prize, publication in print and online, and the distinction of going down in history as a young, published poet in a tradition dating back to 1969.

Brooks' Tradition

Gwendolyn Brooks created the writing competition as a way to encourage young people to explore and experiment with self-expression through poetry. Illinois Humanities is proud to carry on that legacy. In recent years, the number of submissions received has skyrocketed to 988 this year. A panel of forty-nine expert judges thoughtfully examined and rated students’ poems based on a carefully crafted rubric evaluating aspects of technical skill, emotional and intellectual range, originality, and theme or message.

Nerves and Courage

Writers were met at the door with specially designed tote bags containing a chapbook of their work and a bright pink ribbon wand, later revealed to be used for swishing around in the air when their peers’ words resonated during the reading. 

Poets had a chance to write a group poem on large post-it notes that hung on the wall or mold Play-Doh and draw in coloring books to get any nervous energy out before the ceremony began.

An excited hush came over the crowd as the Logan Center’s Bill Michel took to the stage to welcome the young writers and their biggest fans—parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, mentors, librarians, and more. The audience then heard from Illinois Humanities’ board member, Tawa Mitchell. A sense of astonishment filled the room when she revealed that she herself won a GBYPA when she was eight years old, highlighting that the awards are a springboard for future success. 

Emcee Emily Hooper Lansana kicked off the poetry reading, welcoming each winner to the stage to recite their poem and acknowledging the writers who received honorable mentions. Starting with kindergarteners, the winners recited their work while their poems were projected onto a massive screen behind them.  

The audience chanted special mantras to welcome readers up onto the stage—grades K-4 were met with “Go poet, go poet!” 5th-8th graders heard “Words matter, words, matter,” and 9th-12th got on stage to chants of “Poet power, poet power!” And over the course of the event, the audience got two groovy dance breaks.

Congratulations to all the poets who submitted and to those who won. We salute you and invite you to submit in 2025!