The Gaithersburg Book Festival today announced the finalists for its 8th annual poetry contest for high school students. More than 120 entries were submitted by students in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, who wrote poems on envisioning a better future.
The finalists, listed in alphabetical order with the school they attend, grade and city in which they reside, are:
● Sena Basoglu – Oakton High School, grade 10, Vienna, Va.
● Saadya Bojja – Stone Bridge High School, grade 9, Ashburn, Va.
● Eve Browne – Thomas S. Wootton High School, grade 9, Potomac, Md.
● Natalie Coronado-Mercer – Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, grade 11, Richmond, Va.
● Anna Feldman – Rockbridge County High School, grade 10, Lexington, Va.
● Rachel Hanauer – Annapolis High School, grade 10, Annapolis, Md.
● Ayla Hurwitz – Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, grade 9. Potomac, Md.
● Jaleel Kante – Watkins Mill High School, grade 11, Gaithersburg, Md.
● Kylie Li – Oakton High School, grade 9, Herndon, Va.
● Hargun Malhotra – Poolesville High School, grade 10, Clarksburg, Md.
● Aiden Shokek-Kaplan – Oakton High School, grade 10, Fairfax, Va.
● Coralyn Zossoungbo – Seneca Valley High School, grade 9, Clarksburg, Md.
The 12 finalist poems can be found on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website, where visitors also can vote for their favorite. Fan favorite voting will close on Friday, May 8, at 11 p.m. ET.
Prizes for first-, second- and third-place winners are $250, $100 and $50, respectively. The fan favorite winner will receive $25. Winners and the fan favorite will be announced at 10:15 a.m. in the Edgar Allan Poe Tent at the Festival. Majda Gama, a local poet and translator will select the top three entries and present the awards, after which the poets will read their work.
“Poetry in Montgomery County thrives in the words and line breaks of the talented poets under consideration for the Gaithersburg Book Festival Poetry Contest; walking in the shoes of these students is both a joy and a privilege,” said Gama.
“Our talented student poets were so thoughtful as they examined this year’s theme, ‘What is humanity?'” said Jud Ashman, founder of the Festival and Mayor of the City of Gaithersburg. “They each brought a keen sensibility to the topic, and we are proud to spotlight these budding artists at the Festival.”
To be eligible for the poetry contest, students had to be enrolled in grades 9-12 at a public or private school, or be in a homeschool program, for the 2025-26 school year. Additionally, entrants had to reside in Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia.
Courtesy Gaithersburg Book Festival
