April 21, 2026

This annual competition, which accepts entries in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, is free to enter and open to high school students. A first-, second-, and third-place winner is selected in each of the categories, with cash prizes up to $2,000 awarded.

Young Writers Award finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. YWA winners who are accepted and enroll at Bennington will receive a full-tuition scholarship every year for four years, for a total of more than $240,000. New this year, distinguished writers will also receive half-tuition scholarships. YWA finalists who are accepted and enroll at Bennington will receive a $25,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $100,000.

Bennington College has a unique literary legacy, including twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, countless New York Times bestselling authors, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.

Each year, nearly 5,000 students submit poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to the Young Writers Awards competition. Bennington College congratulates all entrants on their extraordinary submissions and is pleased to announce the 2025-2026 winning entries.

The 2026-2027 Young Writers Awards will officially open beginning on September 1. Sign up to receive notifications about the competition. 

2025-2026 Young Writers Awards Winners

Poetry

• First Place, “Sky Burial / Our House Forgot Our Names,” Hanyi Zhou, Hong Kong, Chinese International School
• Second Place, “Creation Myth / Somewhere Between a Volcano and a Strawberry Patch / Snow/Blood,” Rongfei (Dora) Mu, Beijing, China, Beijing World Youth Academy
• Third Place, “Faith of Some Kind / Portrait of My Grandfather as a Heron / Hope Elegy for a Heart Attack,” Yoonsuh Sophie Kim, New York, NY, Trinity School
• Distinguished Writers: Khaos Kook, Hana Tsai, and Chelsea Zhu

Fiction

• First Place, “How to Raise a Baby (How to Ease the Grief),” Virginia (Jinx) Morrison, New York, NY, Columbia Secondary School of Math, Science, & Engineering
• Second Place, “Recipe for Every Shade of Nothing,” Billie (Poppy) Pyar Christie, Lisle, IL
• Third Place, "Caged Wings,” Jane Hahn, Incheon, South Korea, Chadwick International School
• Distinguished Writers: Binh Le, Sydney Liu, and Alison Wright

Nonfiction

• First Place, “Hands Against Entropy,” Audrina Wong, Hong Kong, Loomis Chaffee School
• Second Place, “La Vaca,” Isabelle (Oliver) Cordova, Truchas, NM, New Mexico School for the Arts
• Third Place, “Grandwhat?” Casey Frasca, Annandale, NJ, North Hunterdon High School
• Distinguished Writers: Ariba Tashnim Ashna, Mintesinot Dache, Melissa Ng