Penguin Random House | New York, 06/20/2023

30th Annual Creative Writing Awards

Penguin Random House U.S. has announced the winners of its 2023 Creative Writing Award. More than 1,000 high school students from across the U.S. participated. The U.S. publishing group has been organizing the writing competition for 30 years now, in partnership with the national grassroots organization We Need Diverse Books.

More than 1,000 students from nearly 800 high schools across 50 states and two territories submitted entries for this year’s Creative Writing Awards, a competition that Penguin Random House U.S. has been hosting for 30 years now. At the announcement of the five winners a few days ago, the inaugural Michelle Obama Award for Memoir  was also presented. “I am excited to congratulate Madison Corzine from Fort Worth, Texas, for winning the first-ever Michelle Obama Award for Memoir,” said former First Lady Michelle Obama. “It’s not easy to be vulnerable about your life and be open about your experiences with the world. I was moved by Madison’s fearless writing and her willingness to share her light with us. I wish her, and all of this year’s Creative Writing Award winners, the best in college and beyond.”

The other award winners alongside Madison Corzine were Isabella Rayner from North Carolina (“Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry”), Melissa Vera from California (“Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word”), Karen Yang from New Jersey (“Fiction & Drama”), and Gloria Blumenkrantz from New York (“NYC Entrant Award”). The five winners will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship. They also receive a week-long summer training program at Penguin Random House, which includes personal coaching from some of the best editors in the industry, networking workshops, a panel discussion on careers in publishing, and fireside chats with Penguin Random House authors. The week will conclude with a virtual awards ceremony. Penguin Random House’s partner in organizing the Creative Writing Award is We Need Diverse Books, a national grassroots organization that advocates for diversity in children’s and young adult literature.

Claire von Schilling, EVP, Director Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility, Penguin Random House said, “For 30 years, Penguin Random House’s Creative Writing Awards program has amplified the voices of exceptional public high school students. Our partnership with We Need Diverse Books helps us reach students in underrepresented communities across the country, and inaugurating the new Michelle Obama Award for Memoir this year has given us an even larger footprint.