princeton legal journal essay competition

High School Contests

Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in the 11th grade in the U.S. or abroad . Contest judges are poets on the Princeton University creative writing faculty , which includes Michael Dickman, Katie Farris, Ilya Kaminsky, Lynn Melnick, Paul Muldoon, Kathleen Ossip, and Patricia Smith.

2024-25 Contest Timeline

The 2024-25 contest closed on  November 10, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) . No late entries accepted after the deadline.

Winners will be announced in April 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can submissions for the poetry contest be poems that are currently submitted to other contests? Yes.

Can the poems also be poems that have won other contests? Yes.

Can the poems be previously published? Yes. If the poem(s) was published, please provide a reference for the date and media of publication.

How many poems can each student submit? Applicants may submit up to 3 poems.

I attend online school and/or I am home-schooled. Can I still participate in the contest? Yes, any student currently enrolled in the 11th grade (or international equivalent) in the U.S. or abroad—in public, non-public, charter school, or a home-school setting—is eligible to participate.

Do you accept poems written in other languages besides English? Yes — however, the student must translate their own poems into English and provide the English translation as part of their entry. Please note that the English translations of original poems do not count as separate poems themselves; for example, a student can submit three poems in other languages and the three English translations of those poems.

How will I know that my entry was successfully submitted online? After a student successfully submits their poems using the online entry form, the student will receive an email confirmation/copy of their entry sent to the student email address provided in the entry form.

Why did the file name of my PDF change when I submitted my entry? When reviewing the confirmation email of your submission, if you notice that a 1, 2, 3, etc. was added to the file name of your PDF, it means that other students sharing the same initials already submitted a similarly named file. The contest’s data system automatically adds extra characters to PDF files to differentiate such items. No entries will be disqualified for extra numerical digits.

Will students receive a certificate of participation for submitting entries to the contest? No, due to the volume of entries, only the prize winners and honorable mentions will be recognized in the contest.

How will I learn about the contest winners? Only the prize-winning students and those who earned honorable mentions will be contacted directly in advance of the contest prize announcement. The names of contest winners will be published to this web page in April 2025.

Receive Contest Updates

To receive email updates about submission deadlines for the contest each year, please subscribe to our contest email list .

A Note for High School Teachers

Thank you for your interest in the Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize. While we encourage the inclusion of poetry in the high school English curriculum, we ask you to please refrain from using the contest as an occasion to require all your students to submit a poem as a homework assignment. If you read the poems from the past student winners, you’ll see that they all carry a sense of urgency and necessity that is difficult to conjure when a student is obliged to submit a poem. Ideally, we hope motivated students will choose to enter the contest, and that they’ll come to see the writing and sharing of their poems as a joy rather than an obligation.

We’d also like to recommend the following poetry anthologies:

• Poem-a-Day: 365 Poems for Every Occasion , edited by Tamar Brazis
• 20th Century Pleasures , edited by Robert Hass
• The Best of the Best American Poetry , edited by Robert Pinsky

Contest Prizes

• First Prize — $1,500
• Second Prize — $750
• Third Prize — $500

2024 Contest Winners

First place.

Acadia Reynolds Charleston, South Carolina “Dissection of a Cow Eye”

Second Place

Hallie Dong Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania “Mother, a Verb” after Vicki Lin

Third Place

Allison Wu Cohoes, New York “Abecedarian for an ABC”

Read the winning poems from 2024

Honorable Mentions

Allison Kim Greer, South Carolina “Eulogy”

Lillie Markel Greenville, South Carolina “August Drive”

Nora Gupta Queens Village, New York “At Sunoco”

Violet Kinsey Bothell, Washington “Interpretation Of A Place”

Tara Prakash Chevy Chase, Maryland “Handfuls”

Isabella Capole-Chung New York, New York “H20”

Race Harish Plainsboro, New Jersey “The Worst Fever”

Seoyon Kim East Greenwich, Rhode Island “all her things have gone far away”

Lucía Ramírez Cantero Monteroni di Lecce, Puglia, Italy “Latina”

Peihe Feng Guangzhou, Guangdong, China “The Kitchen”

Graham Blanton Waxhaw, North Carolina “Setting the Table in a Time of War”

Robert Gao Champaign, Illinois “Chengdu / US”

Kyra Ezikeuzor Richmond, Texas “10 Hates for the Igbo American”

2023 Contest Winners

Vivian Huang Irvine, California “Femininity Test for the Rotting Daughters”

Elliott Kate Cooper Mount Pleasant, South Carolina “A Letter to My Little Brother, Who Cries When Daddy Cuts His Hair”

Sarah Li Philadelphia, Pennsylvania “Ode to That Old H-Mart”

Jenna Nesky Pikesville, Maryland “Turning Fifteen”

Mackenzie Duan San Ramon, California “Midwinter Orange”

Keyi Wang Shenzhen, Guangdong, China “math tests solzhenitsyn took before i did” (in memory of Shanghai in April, 2022)

Read the winning poems from 2023

2022 Contest Winners

Saanvi Roy Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia “Narrabeen”

Amy Wang San Diego, California “On this side of the highway”

Fiona Lu Foster City, California “Turing Test”

Read the winning poems from 2022

Marit Hickey, “2012 (before the lilacs were gone)” Stillwater, Minnesota

Erin Kim, “Beautiful Country (미국)” Andover, Massachusetts

Jessica Kim, “Broken Abecedarian for America” La Cañada, California

Esperanza Littlefield, “Heritage” Tokyo, Japan

Sophia Liu, “Elegy with Life Support” Great Neck, New York

Avery London, “and what about our dead time” Loomis, California

Lauren Mills, “out and about in NYC” Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Sarah Fathima Mohammed, “My Sister and I Come Home for Ramadan” Los Gatos, California

Brendan Nurczyk, “Sonnet at the End of the World” Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Aiko Offner, “I take a break from poetry to pluck my leg hairs” Santa Monica, California

Janevra Pier, “Blonde” Gananoque, Ontario, Canada

Natalie Rose, “The Bus” Chevy Chase, Maryland

Isabelle Veenstra, “Teddy Roosevelt’s Sagamore Hill Home in Long Island” Fountain Inn, South Carolina

Austina Xu, “Aftermath” Cupertino, California

Hengzhi Yang, “Taiwan, The Wedding, Desert” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Corina Yi, “Sunday in Busan” Mililani, Hawaii

Gabrielle Yuan, “Hesitant Lovers” Dublin, Ohio

Lajward Zahra, “Flies” El Paso, Texas

Aaron Zhang, “Portrait of a Pearl Fisher” Bellevue, Washington

2021 Contest Winners

Gaia Rajan, “Simple Machines” Mason, Ohio

Olivia Yang, “Etymology of Loss” Charlotte, North Carolina

Olajuwon Abdullah Adedokun, “Photosynthesis” Lagos/Alimosho/Igando, Nigeria

Read the winning poems from 2021

Nicholas Budny, “The Séance” Princeton, New Jersey

Cole Corby, “Gammie” Howell, Michigan

S.L. Franjola, “Love Poem for a Schoolboy” New York, New York

Sierra Glassman, “Hum” Watsonville, California

Emma Goss, “Simple Liberty” Sherman Oaks, California

Emmalene Hardouin, “A little too melodramatic for my taste” Grand Rapids, Michigan

Yong-Yu Huang, “Radium Girls” Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia

Shreya Khullar, “The Hindi Word for Prayer” Iowa City, Iowa

Anna LaCombe, “What We Never Saw” Plainfield, Illinois

Allison Lowe, “The End of the World is Broadcast Live on Cable News” Pleasant Hill, California

Oliver Moore, “i’m sleep” Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Goodman Murphy-Smith, “Open Window” Indian Springs Village, Alabama

Logan Szymanski, “Fallen Timber” Howell, Michigan

Yvanna Vien Tica, “Three Days Without Resurrection” Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Lucy Wang, “Humanity’s Light” Oxford, Ohio

Katherine Wei, “Growing Pains” Chandler, Arizona

Thisbe Wu, “The Roach In My Bed” New York, New York

Isabella Zhou, “Sermon” Naperville, Illinois

2020 Contest Winners

Hannah Wehrung, “When I Say I Wrote the Birds” Yulee, Florida

Lane Devers, “Hunter S. Thompson for Sheriff” Interlochen, Michigan

Third Place (a tie)

Lucy Cai, “Sick” Lexington, Massachusetts

Tyler Kellogg, “Hunting” Greenville, South Carolina

Read the winning poems from 2020

Jolin Chan, “The Three-Part Saga of Fran Li, 1982″ Irvine, California

Dylan Fritz, “American Politics as They Relate to Salamanders” Greenville, South Carolina

Aniela Holtrop, “Arpilleras” Freeport, Maine

Charlotte Hughes, “The Heartbeat Ban in Iowa Museums” Columbia, South Carolina

Omari ‘Imipono Kenyatta, “moke akshen” Waianae, Hawaii

Bianca Denise Layog, “User’s Guide to Hat Shopping” Interlochen, Michigan

Olivia Lee, “o-to be-an isopod” Arcadia, California

Maya Savin Miller, “i write my father in jail” Pasadena, California

Maia Siegel, “When the Marbits Globbed Together” Roanoke, Virginia

Yejin Suh, “To an Echo of a Language in Still Water” Glen Rock, New Jersey

Diana Vink, “immortality and elizabeth” Brewster, New York

Evelyn Zelmer, “Gentrify, Gently ” Newark, Ohio

2019 Contest Winners

Lara Katz, “of arc” Weston, CT

Miracle Thornton, “praise dance” Interlochen, MI

Layla Wheelon, “Self Portrait as Kudzu” Charleston, SC

Read the winning poems from 2019

Reagan Boyle, “Water, Water” Massillon, OH

Victoria Choe, “Pissing in the Breeze” Livingston, NJ

Malia Chung, “Seven Ways of Looking at Seven” Milton, MA

Lhamo Dixey, “The Cup of Roses” Berkeley, CA

Kathryn Lacey, “Mother” Arlington, VA

Esther Lee, “The Flower Garden” Irvine, CA

Rachel Li, “Brooklyn” Apex, NC

Ilan Magnani, “What I Know About Elephants” Pittsburgh, PA

Veronica Moreau, “Breathing 101” Wildwood, Alberta Canada

Lajadia Seawright, “Ohh Mahogany Mahogany Mahogany Ann” Greenville, SC

Claire Shang, “Ears (Broken Ghazal)” New York, NY

Magdalena Smith, “Underwater Among Minnows and Miracles and Dreams, or Was It Sexual Assault?” Ithaca, NY

Cathleen Weng, “The devil / the gods” Sioux Falls, SD

2018 Contest Winners

Daniel Blokh, “To My First Language” Birmingham, AL

Emily Tian, “Clean” North Potomac, MD

Bronwen Brenner, “The Sickest Daughter” New York, NY

Read the winning poems from 2018

Jennifer Boyd, “Directions to French Quarter, New Orleans” Hull, MA

Bella Coles, “Tangible Comforts” Oakland, CA

Adam Krasnoff, “Subaru Forester” Charleston, SC

John-Henry Lambert, “To Brooks” Greenville, SC

Sydney Little, “Unlocked” Newport Beach, CA

Unnathy Nellutla, “ పిల్లి   కళ్ళు  – Cat Eyes” East Hanover, NJ

Sophie Paquette, “Amalgamate—” Bloomington, IN

Hayley Steves, “Royalty” Greenville, SC

Corinne Vicario, “A People of Order” Greenville, SC

Albert Zhang, “Erasure” Marietta, GA

2017 Contest Winners

Joseph Felkers, “Gunsafe” Caledonia, MI

Darius Christiansen, “Blueprint of the South” New Orleans, LA

Hadassah Amani, “Clutching Thistle” Miami, FL

Read the winning poems from 2017

Margot Armbruster, “Kerosene” Elm Grove, WI

Jennifer Boyd, “Trapeze Song” Hull, MA

Emma Crockford, “State Bird” Middleboro, MA

Aidan Forster, “Bildungsroman with Distant Nation” Taylors, SC

Jacqueline He, “Marilyn” San Jose, CA

Christina Im, “Someday I’ll Come Back for Korea” Portland, OR

Gina Kim, “suburbia” Glenview, IL

Cristian Melendez, “Energetic Variance” San Elizario, TX

Iggy Shuler, “Eating Panic Fish at Lake Marion” Greenville, SC

Meredith Tamirian, “Love after a Breakup” Allendale, NJ

Alisha Yi, “Afterword Theory” Las Vegas, NV

Joyce Zhou, “The Way We Remained” Naperville, IL

Abraham Zuraw, “Weird Sun” Oak Park, IL

2016 Contest Winners

Hillel Rosenshine New York, NY

Emily Ling Greenville, SC

Katherine Liu Lincolnshire, IL

Read the winning poems from 2016

Annabelle Crowe, “Christ of the Abyss” Asheville, NC

Kathryn Hargett, “A man pushes my classmate in front of an eighteen-wheeler then takes communion” Birmingham, AL

Allison Huang, “In the Wake” Princeton, NJ

Karissa Kang, “In Mother’s Absence” Andover, MA

Suzan Kim, “Dear H.S. Expatriate, Cresskill, NJ

Irene Vazquez, “The Three Things She Was Most Afraid Of—Until She Wasn’t” Houston, TX

Past Contest Winners

Note: The Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students was formerly called the Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Secondary School Poetry Contest.

Read the 2015 winning poems Read the 2014 winning poems

To request a disability-related accommodation to access archival PDFs of past winning poems, please email [email protected] .

Past winners who have gone on to become Princeton University students include:

Daisy Bassen ’98 — “Winning the prize made me aware of the Creative Writing program at Princeton and showed me how warm and encouraging it is to young poets.”

Caitlin Crounse ’99 — “It confirmed my most cherished, outlandish suspicion: that I might actually be a poet.”

Jon Queally ’00 — “Winning this prize meant that there was the possibility that I had something of value to say.”

Efe Balikcioglu ’10 — “Receiving the prize encouraged me to pursue improving my talent in every aspect here at Princeton.”

Kat Kulke ’17 — “Winning the prize gave me a new faith in myself as a writer and opened my eyes to the vibrant writing community at Princeton.”

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