Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

Former RAYWA Winner Named Chi Poet Laureate

Just more than a year ago, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, Lucy De Maio was honored as the third-place winner in the RAYWA prose category. Her story was called, “Tail of a Frog.” She returned to the Harold Washington Library Center this past Thursday, May 28, where she was selected as the 2026 Chicago Youth Poet Laureate. Over the next year, Lucy, a very recent graduate of Walter Payton College Prep, “will represent the city of Chicago through performances, civic engagements, and opportunities to share her voice across the city.” The other four finalists for the prestigious position were: Jehovanah Blahoua, Ellie Hersher-Dale, Rosemary Harte, and Yaya Lopez. Lucy will take over Chicago Youth Poet Laureate duties from Eila Kittikamron Mora. Previous winners were: E’Mon Lauren (2016-17), Patricia Fraizer (2017-18), and Kara Jackson (2018-19). The Chicago Youth Poet Laureate is a program Young Chicago Authors. Congratulations to Lucy—she’s going to make Chicago proud.

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