Congrats to ISP Winners: Ryan Partington, Brooklyn Smith, Matthew Murray!
The state of Illinois sponsors a yearly poetry contest for students grades 6-12.
The contest is open to all enrolled students in public and private institutions as well as home-schooled individuals. In grades 9-12 for the year 2025 there were seven categories in which students could place first, second, third, and honorable mention.
The categories specified thematic ideas, line length and number, and rhyme scheme in certain divisions. Winners in these categories received prizes of money and publication in the annual Fresh Ink anthology. Winning poems also advanced to the National Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest.
This year Newman is proud to have three winners in the following categories:
Ryan Partington: First Place in Poems That Sing which honors poets whose work could be song lyrics. Ryan, a senior, titled his poem “Repeated Words and Unchanging Radios.”
Brooklynn Smith: Third Place in the President’s Challenge Award with the subject of Dreams. Brooklynn, a sophomore, titled her piece “Dream.”
Matthew Murray: Honorable Mention in the President’s Challenge Award with the subject of Dreams. Matthew, a sophomore, titled his poem “Fleeting memories of him.”
This is the third consecutive year Newman students have placed in the Illinois State Poetry Contest.
