Congratulations to the 2025 PRH Creative Writing Awards Winners & $10,000 Scholarship Recipients

Six outstanding public high school seniors from across the country have been selected as recipients of the 2025 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. This year marks the first time the James Baldwin Award for Fiction has been presented, in honor of the 100th birthday of the literary legend and civil rights champion.  

James Baldwin’s niece, Darlene Burnett, helped select the fiction winner. “James Baldwin’s words continue to impact generations. My uncle embodied an innate prophetic ability, remaining relevant to the inequalities that plague us today. A fearless voice and impassioned visionary, he wrote with a harsh, unapologetic truth that challenged us to examine our beliefs. He believed in educating and empowering young people. As inheritors of this vision, we must embolden these aspiring writers to tell their stories courageously.”

Burnett said, “As his niece, it has been an honor to select the recipient of the James Baldwin Award for fiction. Traveling the creative landscape of students with insightful narrative voices has been inspiring. They continue to demonstrate that the power of words can inform minds, fuel the imagination, and construct narratives that compel us to read and to feel. They are the literary architects of the future.” 

 Prizes were awarded in the following categories: the Freedom of Expression Award, the Michelle Obama Award for Memoir, the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word, the inaugural James Baldwin Award for Fiction, and the NYC Entrant Award. 

More than 1,000 students from more than 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. The week concludes with a virtual awards ceremony on Friday, July 18, at 12 pm.  

• James Baldwin Award for Fiction: Mahnoor Qazi of Golden Valley High School, Santa Clarita, CA for “Eternity”

• Freedom of Expression Award: Sarah Escobedo of Lopez Early College High School, Brownsville, TX for“Unveiling the Silence: How a Banned Book Gave Me a Voice”

• Michelle Obama Award for Memoir: Bailey Terrett of Toms River High School North, Toms River, NJ for “5 Minutes”

• Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry: Laila Asberry of Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, Cleveland, OH for “To Build a Better Black Woman”

• Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word: Jaylen Hughley of Oxon Hill High School, Oxon Hill, MD for “Black Education in America
  

• NYC Entrant Award: Emmet Schickele of Hunter College High School, New York, NY for “Stoop Dinner”

 “Each year, we are amazed by the exceptional talent of our Creative Writing Award recipients, and this year is no exception,” said Claire von Schilling, EVP, Director Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility, Penguin Random House. “We are so proud to support these emerging writers alongside our partners at We Need Diverse Books.” 

Caroline Richmond, Executive Director of WNDB said, “Every year I am inspired by these diverse and unique young voices. Their valuable perspectives allow us to experience possibility and hope for the future. We can’t wait to see what they do next.” 

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. Judges for WNDB included WNDB Executive Director Caroline Richmond and a selection of educators and publishing professionals. Judges for PRH included Avi Bonime, Liz Catalano, Kristen Costa, Erin Colombo, Alison Chan, Bianca Ducasse, Eliana Ferreri, Christina Garrison, Tatiana Guel, Andrea Hovland, Nikeeyia Howell, Farrin Jacobs, Bri James, Darian Keels, Teresa Mason, Nick Michal, Daniel Ortega-Venni, Jessica Pearson, Almudena Rincon, Havilah Sciabbarrasi, Miriam Tuliao, Claire Vaccaro, Chantelle Walker, Ciara Wardlow. 

To learn more about our Creative Writing Awards click here.