STUDENT POETRY CONTEST 2024 WINNERS

Local Students Win Poetry Prizes

Ligonier Valley Writers has just announced that students from schools throughout western Pennsylvania won awards in LVW's 33rd annual Student Poetry Awards on Saturday. Thirty cash prizes were handed out and the students read their winning poems to a standing-room-only audience.

Award Presentation and Reading at Greensburg Barnes & Noble

Congratulations to our 2024 Winners!

Photo caption: Winners of Ligonier Valley Writers’ Student Poetry Contest 2024.

Front row, left to right: Maria Gacek (West Hempfield Elementary), Rosalita Bobby (Eagle View Elementary), Elle Lauder (Belle Vernon Area Middle School), Sophia Baker (Grandview Elementary), Van Bobby (Eagle View Elementary), Ryan Ouellette (Jeannette High), Alexander Parker (West Hempfield Middle School).

Back row, left to right: Ray Mamas (Norwin High), Paige Tokay (Norwin High), Sydney Reiter (Norwin High), Maia McIntyre (Norwin High), Lennon Bobby (Shanksville-Stonycreek High). Several winners are missing from the photo.

Naccarato Awards: The Best of the Best

The John T. Naccarato Memorial Award, sponsored by Michele Jones, is awarded for the poem that is judged the best of the best in each age group. Winners are Rosalita Bobby of Eagle View Elementary School for “My Weekly Animals” (grades 4-6), Ryan Ouellette of Jeannette High School for “Mechanical Symphony” (grades 7-9) and Linda Kong of North Allegheny High School for “Bridge to Nowhere” (grades 10-12).

Grades 4-6

First-prize winner of the Jane Robb Gallagher Memorial Award for rhymed verse (sponsored by Judith Gallagher) is Maeve Reed Raczkowski of Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy for “Harmony of Hearts.” Second-prize winner is Sophia Baker of Grandview Elementary School for “Confessions of a Competitive Cheerleader.” Third-prize winner is Van Bobby of Eagle View Elementary for “The Performance.”

Winners of the Glenda Busch Memorial Award for unrhymed verse (sponsored by Jim Busch) are Maria Gacek of West Hempfield Elementary School for “My Classmates Are Rocks” (first prize), Sophia Baker of Grandview Elementary for “Broken First Love” (second prize) and Amelia Madle of Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy for “My Fantasy” (third prize).

Winners of the Henry Clay and Gladys Maas Pruitt Memorial Award (sponsored by Candace Green) for haiku are Adalie Huba of Ligonier Valley Middle School for “Skies’ Lights” (first prize), Van Bobby of Eagle View Elementary for “On the Lake” (second prize) and Gabriel Lenhart of LVMS for “Moments in Time” (third prize).

Grades 7-9

First-prize winner of the Highview Farm Award for traditional verse (sponsored by Sally Shirey) is Lennon Bobby of Shanksville-Stonycreek High School for “Notes on Life.” Second-prize winner is Elle Lauder of Belle Vernon Area Middle School for “Stuck.” Third-prize winner is Grant Einodshofer of Belle Vernon Area MS for “Fishing.”

First-prize winner of the Shirey Poetry Award for free verse (also sponsored by Sally Shirey) is Tai Allison of Indiana Area Junior High School for “The Outdoor Poem.” Second-prize winner is Elle Lauder of Belle Vernon Area MS for “Shine.” Third-prize winner is Alexander Parker of West Hempfield Middle School for “All Dogs Go to Heaven.”

First-prize winner of the Ogden Nash Award for light humorous verse (sponsored by Anita Staub) is Lily Walsh for “Mr. Frog.” Second-prize winner is Grant Einodshofer for “Dog’s Life.” Third-prize winner is Ella Braden for “What Is That?” All three winners attend Belle Vernon Area Middle School.

Grades 10-12

In Grades 10-12, the first-prize winner of the Dr. Len Roberts Memorial Award for traditional verse (sponsored by Ruth McDonald) is Linda Kong of North Allegheny High School for “Sonnet for Waxing Gibbous.” Second-prize winner is Kasia Ewing of Derry Area High School for “Godspeak.” Third-prize winner is Brooke Zooner of Albert Gallatin High School for “Rarity.”

Sydney Reiter of Norwin High School won first prize in the Hayden Savinda Memorial Award for free verse (sponsored by Ronald J. Shafer) for “Yellow Flowers.” Second-prize winner is Kasia Ewing of Derry Area High School for “The Dish Washer.” Third-prize winner is Minji Kim of Derry Area High School for “March.”

First-prize winner of the Marie Martin Memorial Award for romantic poetry (sponsored by Phil and Mary Lou Fleming) is Maia McIntyre for “Sonnet 118.” Second-prize winner is Paige Tokay for “Lovesick.” Third-prize winner is Ray Mamas for “ily.” All three winners attend Norwin High School.

Multiple Winners

Six students won two awards each this year: Linda Kong of North Allegheny High; Kasia Ewing of Derry Area High; Grant Einodshofer of Belle Vernon Area Middle School; Elle Lauder of Belle Vernon Area MS; Van Bobby of Eagle View Elementary; and Sophia Baker of Grandview Elementary.

Teacher Carol Aten Frow of Belle Vernon Middle School has the most winning class: four students who wrote six prizewinning poems. Jennifer Boyd of Norwin High has four winning students whose poems would be assets in any literary journal. Kate Bobby is both a teacher and the mother of three poets who among them won four prizes.

Several teachers have students who won two awards for their schools: Kelly Ankney of Ligonier Valley MS, Jennifer Welty of Grandview Elementary in Derry, JoEllen Harr of Derry Area HS, Janellen Lombardi of North Allegheny High, Jill Keresztury of the Woodland Hills School District (both Turtle Creek Elementary and Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academies).

Teachers whose students won one award are Jaime Gacek of West Hempfield, Kim Swaney of Albert Gallatin High, Jonelle Dongilla of Indiana Area Jr High, and Katie Bell-Fawcett of Jeannette Senior High.

Congratulations and thanks to all of the teachers involved for encouraging their students to write and to enter the contest.

The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Greensburg Barnes & Noble on Saturday. The student poets read their winning poems aloud to the audience.

Ligonier Valley Writers is an all-volunteer nonprofit group serving writers and readers throughout western Pennsylvania. For more about any LVW events, publications, and writing contests, visit www.LVWonline.org or LVW’s Facebook page.

SEE 2024 WINNING POEMS

SEE OUR PAST WINNERS

Congratulations to our 2023 Winners!

Naccarato Awards: The Best of the Best

The John T. Naccarato Memorial Award, sponsored by Michele Jones, is awarded for the poem that is judged the best of the best in each age group. Winners are Cole Kramer of Ligonier Valley Middle School for “The Music” (grades 4-6), Olivia Mastren-Williams of Chartiers Valley Middle School for “The Five Stages of Grief” (grades 7-9) and Kathryn Mi of North Allegheny High School for “how to love a thing that stains” (grades 10-12).

Grades 4-6

First-prize winner of the Jane Robb Gallagher Memorial Award for rhymed verse (sponsored by Judith Gallagher) is Bridget Hughes for “Infinity Thoughts.” Second-prize winner is Sen Maochie Bustamante for “Slumber’s Door.” Third-prize winner is Charlotte Raymond for “The Beast.” All attend Ligonier Valley Middle School.

Winners of the Glenda Busch Memorial Award for unrhymed verse (sponsored by Jim Busch) are Noah Hopkinson of Penn Middle School for “Back to School” (first prize), Brooklynne Bowser of Ligonier Valley Middle School for “My Little Angel” (second prize) and Charlotte Raymond of LVMS for “The Illusionists” (third prize).

Winners of the Henry Clay and Gladys Maas Pruitt Memorial Award (sponsored by Candace Green) for Haiku are Aila Langston of Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy for “Night Howls” (first prize), Levi Foust of Ligonier Valley Middle School for “Sun Shine” (second prize) and Sen Maochie Bustamante of LVMS for “Liquid Life” (third prize).

Grades 7-9

First-prize winner of the Highview Farm Award for traditional verse (sponsored by Sally Shirey) is Bella Flores of Indiana Junior High for Heartbeat.” Second-prize winner is Cricket Baunoch of Indiana Senior High for “Sweet, Sweet Hypocrisy.” Third-prize winner is Alexa Campbell

of Ingomar Middle School for “Stage Fright.”

First-prize winner of the Shirey Poetry Award for free verse (also sponsored by Sally Shirey) is Audrey Wagner of Wendover Middle School for “Day Lilies.” Second-prize winner is Alina Swinger of Somerset Area Junior High for "Sometimes." Third-prize winner is Izabella Harrison of Carson Middle School for “Broken .”

First-prize winner of the Ogden Nash Award for light humorous verse (sponsored by Anita Staub) is Kaylin Luster of Belle Vernon Area Middle School for “Friends.” Second-prize winner Alina Swinger of Somerset Area Junior High for “Ruling the World”. Third-prize winner is Brian Nguyen of Belle Vernon Area Middle School for “The Breakfast Dilemma.”

Grades 10-12

In Grades 10-12, the first-prize winner of the Dr. Len Roberts Memorial Award for traditional verse (sponsored by Ruth McDonald) is Kathryn Mi for “mirror, mirror.” Second-prize winner is Audrey Starck for “Sisyphus’s Circus”. Third-prize winner is Grace Reynolds for “Our Cathedral’s Raptor.” All three winners attend North Allegheny High School.

Ella Simpson of Norwin High School won first prize in the Hayden Savinda Memorial Award for free verse (sponsored by Ronald J. Shafer) for “Hunger.” Second-prize winner is Audrey Starck of North Allegheny High School for “The Silence Screams.” Third-prize winner is Mark Harris of Penn-Trafford High School for “Swan Song .”

First-prize winner of the Marie Martin Memorial Award for romantic poetry (sponsored by Phil and Mary Lou Fleming) is Paige Tokay of North Allegheny for “I’m so tired of love.” Second-prize winner is Jocelyn Kuhns of Albert Gallatin Area High School for “Pieces of Me.” Third-prize winner is Alexis Galdo of Norwin High School for “The Prettiest of Hues.”

Kathryn Mi of North Allegheny High School won first prize in the Hayden Savinda Memorial Award for free verse (sponsored by Ronald J. Shafer) for “all the courses of our family values are written between the lines of my suicide notes and my father’s will.” Second-prize winner is Audrey Starck of North Allegheny for “Wings of Lead.” Third-prize winner is Abigail Wolfgang of Greater Latrobe Senior High School for “She Won’t Be There.” First-prize winner of the Marie Martin Memorial Award for romantic poetry (sponsored by Phil and Mary Lou Fleming) is Audrey Starck of North Allegheny for “Our Perfect.” Second-prize winner is Olivia Belcher of North Allegheny High School for “Syringa x Laciniata.” Third-prize winner is Alcameana Kennedy of Albert Gallatin High School for “Shattered.”

Multiple Winners

Several students won two awards this year.

Sen Maochie Bustamante won both second prize in the Gallagher Award and third prize in the Pruitt Award. Charlotte Raymond won third in both the Gallagher and the Glenda Busch Award.
Alina Swinger won second in both the Shirey and the Ogden Nash Award.
Audrey Starck won second in both the Roberts and the Hayden Savinda Awards.
Kathryn Mi won the Naccarato Award and first prize in the Len Roberts Award. Her Naccarato winner is a contrapuntal poem: Each column is its own poem, and the whole text read from left to right is yet a third poem.

Five teachers had multiple winners in their classes: Kelly Ankney of Ligonier Valley Middle School, Janelle Lombardi of North Allegheny High School, Jennifer Boyd of Norwin High School, Carol Aten Frow of Belle Vernon Middle School, and Mike Swinger of Somerset Area Junior High.

Other teachers of winning poets are Jaime Gacek of Wendover MS, Amy Bouch of Chartiers Valley Middle School, Lynn Eckberg of Penn Middle School, Cathie Pearson of Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy, Erin King of Indiana Junior High, Elizabeth Woods of Indiana Area Senior High, Robyn Byrnes of Ingomar Middle School, Colleen Morris of Carson Middle School, Christina Wukich of Penn-Trafford High School, and Kim Swaney of Albert Gallatin High School

Congratulations and thanks to all of the teachers involved for encouraging their students to write and to enter the contest.

The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Greensburg Barnes & Noble on Saturday. The student poets read their winning poems aloud to the audience. Ligonier Valley Writers is an all-volunteer nonprofit group serving writers and readers throughout western Pennsylvania. For more about any LVW events, publications, and writing contests, visit www.LVWonline.org or https://www.facebook.com/Ligonier-Valley-Writers-

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