Penguin Random House US has announced the winners of the 2026 Creative Writing Awards, recognizing six outstanding public high school seniors from across the United States. Presented in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, a nonprofit organization that promotes diversity in children’s literature, the awards celebrate exceptional young writers. This year also marked the inaugural presentation of the Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression, honoring the celebrated author’s enduring legacy.
Awards were presented in six categories: the Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression, the Michelle Obama Award for Memoir, the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word, the James Baldwin Award for Fiction, and the NYC Entrant Award. This year’s winners are:
- Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression: Trevor Dotson for “The Temperature of Truth”
- Michelle Obama Award for Memoir: Ameen Abdul-Jawad for “Actions Speak Louder”
- Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry: Luca Horiuchi for “Catch the Sun”
- Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word: Elliot McLaughlin for “To Meet God for Dinner”
- James Baldwin Award for Fiction: Ela Kini for “The Places We Go in the Dark”
- NYC Entrant Award: Val Levens for “Pretty”
Scholarships and professional development opportunities
According to Penguin Random House US, more than 1,000 students from over 900 public high schools across all 50 states and three US territories entered the competition, which was held for the 32nd time this year. Each first-place winner will receive a $10,000 college scholarship and a week of summer professional development at Penguin Random House US. The program includes one-on-one coaching from some of the publishing industry’s top editors, networking workshops, a panel discussion on career opportunities in publishing, and a fireside chat with a Penguin Random House author.
“At Penguin Random House, we believe deeply in investing in the future of storytelling, and that begins with supporting young writers,” said Claire von Schilling, Executive Vice President and Director of Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility at Penguin Random House US. “Through our continued partnership with We Need Diverse Books, we are thrilled to honor this year’s Creative Writing Award recipients and ensure their impactful voices are heard and celebrated.” Caroline Richmond, Executive Director of We Need Diverse Books, said: “The importance of young, diverse voices is critically important right now. We need to hear from these fresh perspectives that can offer valuable insights on the world today.”
‘Emotional honesty, intellectual maturity, and literary sophistication’
Members of the families of both Chinua Achebe and James Baldwin helped select the winners in their respective categories. “It was truly an honor to read these submissions. I was deeply moved by the emotional honesty, intellectual maturity, and literary sophistication demonstrated by so many of these young writers. The whole experience was genuinely heartening and reminded me why freedom of expression – and access to literature – matters so profoundly,” said Nwando Achebe, spokesperson for the Achebe family.
James Baldwin’s family continues to celebrate the author’s legacy and the influence he continues to have on young writers. His niece Darlene Burnett said: “James Baldwin continues to be a literary powerhouse whose cultural impact remains a strong and influential voice across the globe. The prognostic capacity he had to construct words was piercing; it continues to challenge our thinking and awaken the way we view the world and ourselves. His command of space compelled you not only to listen but to feel. Today, the fervor and power of his words resonate as strongly as ever, perhaps even more so than they did decades ago.
“A new generation of readers and writers is discovering the renaissance of his work. As stewards of his legacy, we hold the torch and applaud the creative narrative voices of these young writers. It has once again been an honor, as his niece, to select this year’s recipient of the James Baldwin Award for Fiction. Let us continue to encourage them to be fearless and unapologetic trailblazers.”
In addition to the award winners, 82 honorable mentions were recognized for outstanding submissions. These students will receive a “Creativity Kit” containing writing resources and books. Every submission was reviewed individually through a rigorous evaluation process conducted by We Need Diverse Books and Penguin Random House US.
