Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books Announce the 2026 Creative Writing Award Winners
Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books congratulate winners of the 2026 Creative Writing Awards, Including the inaugural winner of the Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression.
Six outstanding public high school seniors from across the country have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, a national grassroots organization that advocates for diversity in children’s literature. It is the inaugural year the Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression award will be given, in honor of the celebrated author’s powerful legacy.
Both Chinua Achebe and James Baldwin’s families helped to select the winners for the writer’s 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,” Nwando Achebe, spokesperson for the Achebe Family, said.
James Baldwin’s family continues to celebrate the author’s legacy, and the influence he still wields on young voices.
Baldwin’s niece, Darlene Burnett added, “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.”
Prizes were awarded in the following 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.
More than 1,000 students from over 900 high schools across 50 states and three territories entered the competition, which is celebrating its 32nd year. Each first-place recipient of the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards will receive a $10,000 college scholarship and a week of summer professional development from Penguin Random House, including a one-on-one coaching from some of the industry’s best editors, networking workshops, a panel about career opportunities in publishing, and a fireside chat with a Penguin Random House author.
2026 WINNERS:
| Category | Name | High School | City, State | Entry Title |
| Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression | Trevor Dotson | Van Wert High School | Van Wert, OH | The Temperature of Truth |
| Michelle Obama Award for Memoir
|
Ameen Abdul-Jawad | Mountain View High School | Tucson, AZ | Actions Speak Louder |
| Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry
|
Luca Horiuchi | Montgomery Blair High School | Silver Spring, MD | catch the sun |
| Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word | Elliot McLaughlin | Natomas Charter | Sacramento, CA | To Meet God for Dinner |
| James Baldwin Award for Fiction
|
Ela Kini | Hunter College High School | New York, NY | The Places We Go in the Dark |
| NYC Entrant
|
Val Levens | Hunter College High School | New York, NY | Pretty |
“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, EVP, Director Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility, Penguin Random House. “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 WNDB 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.”
In addition, 82 honorable mentions are awarded to outstanding entries. These honorees will receive a “Creativity Kit,” which includes writing resources and books.
Every submission to the competition was given individual consideration via a rigorous scoring process by WNDB and Penguin Random House.
To learn more about the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards visit our Social Impact site.