Poetry Ourselves

Poetry Ourselves is a competition for original work by CA Poetry Out Loud county champions. Students are invited to submit an original written poem of no more than 50 lines to be judged anonymously by a panel of literary professionals. The winner will receive $100 and finalists will have the opportunity to perform their work at the CA POL state finals; finalist poems will then be shared on the CA POL website. The Poetry Ourselves creative writing competition has been offered to California county champions since 2019.

2025 POETRY OURSELVES CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION

First Place: Erin Levinson of El Dorado County
“Metaphors”

Runner-Up: Anastacia Sharp of Calaveras County
“I Think It’s Time to Cut You Off”

Honorable Mention: Anah Khan of Stanislaus County
“Bring It On”

2024 POETRY OURSELVES CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION

First Place: Frej Barty of Mendocino County
“Facing”

Runner-Up: Chloe Chou of San Mateo County
“ars poetica with baba’s eighty-five inch tv”

Honorable Mention: Alondra Gutierrez of Tulare County
“The Golden State”

2023 POETRY OURSELVES CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION

First Place: Olivia Le of Orange County
“my american alphabet”

Runner-Up: Selina Xu of Santa Clara County
“Ocean Sister”

Third Place: Tashi Liem of Santa Cruz County
“under the sun”

2022 POETRY OURSELVES CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION

First Place: Sierra Mayoral of Santa Barbara County
“Crossed and Cautious”

Runner-Up: Emma Hwang of Santa Clara County
“Wheelchair”

Runner-Up: Charlotte Burks of Fresno County
“Mama’s Porcelain”

Honorable Mention: Sidney Regelbrugge of Mendocino County
“Questions Asked in the Midst of Midnight”

Honorable Mention: Evelyn Jaime of Tulare County
“Pluto”

2021 POETRY OURSELVES CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION

First Place: Emily Lieber of El Dorado County
“Mainstream Misery”

Runner-Up: Amy Liu of Mendocino County
“The Other Half”

Honorable Mention: Micah Gawel of Alameda County
“In the Night”

Honorable Mention: Angelo Hillstock of San Benito County
“Tinnitus”

Honorable Mention: Roxanne Wright of Sutter County
“Unanswered Wanderers”

2020 Poetry Ourselves creative writing competition

First Place: Malia Cruz of Napa County
Untitled
Runner-Up: Cloitzel Mayte Ahumada of Colusa County
“La Batalla”
Honorable Mention: Eden Getahun of Sacramento County
“Forget”
Honorable Mention: Sadie Richert of San Luis Obispo County
“Photographs”

2019 Poetry Ourselves creative writing competition

First Place: Zoya Ahmed of Sonoma County
“A Concerto of Spice”
Runner-Up: Ceiba Cummings of Siskiyou County
”I was Your world”
Runner-Up: Georgia Schreiner of Ventura County
“Alphabet Soup”