GAITHERSBURG, MD — Three winners have been announced at the Gaithersburg Book Festival High School Poetry Contest, including one from Montgomery County.
A local poet, Gregory Luce, judged the poems. The winners were announced at the festival, which took place last Saturday.
“The talent and dedication to writing these poems was both impressive and encouraging,” Luce said in a press release. “Being able to witness the arrival of a new generation of poets is a remarkable and joyful experience.”
- Jackpot: Eugene Tibbs, junior at Landon School, resident of Arlington, Va., received the first prize for his poem “Reflections of the Delta”.
- Second Prize: Allison Xu, a sophomore at Walter Johnson High School, resident of Rockville, awarded for “Sky Lanterns”, which was also selected as a fan favorite.
- Third Prize: Lucy Collins, resident of Columbia and student at Archbishop Spalding High School, for “The Exodus of Icarus”.
The program was open to high school students who live in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The Gaithersburg Book Festival has returned in person after several years of remote programming due to the pandemic. There were featured writers as well as free workshops for local writers looking to hone their craft.
“Since its inception in 2010, the Festival has quickly become one of the country’s premier literary events, attracting hundreds of award-winning and best-selling authors, poets and songwriters from across the country to its beautiful grounds” , says the festival’s website. .
