Poets from schools across Pennsylvania shine in the WPSU Poetry Writing Contest

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — From the joy of childhood, a walk in nature, the companionship of a puppy, to questioning society’s norms — more than 200 students from 40 school districts in 16 different Pennsylvania counties shared their views of life within the poems they submitted for the WPSU Poetry Writing Contest.

The annual competition is held in April as an extension of WPSU’s “Poetry Moment” radio program and in honor of National Poetry Month.

Winning poems selected

The poems submitted to the WPSU Poetry Writing Contest were reviewed by Penn State staff and community volunteers, and the top three from each category were shared with Marjorie Maddox, the host of “Poetry Moment,” who selected the following winning works:

• “Summer Forest” by Adley Brown, a second grade student from Warren County School District in Warren. Category: Kindergarten through Second Grade.

• “Puppy Paws” by Elliette Fralick, a fifth grade student from Warren County School District in Warren. Category: Third through Fifth Grade.

• “Parental Pruning” by Evelyn Morath, an eighth grade student from State College Area School District in State College. Category: Sixth through Eighth Grade.

• “Where We First Took Root” by Eliza Knott, a ninth grade student from Penn Cambria School District in Gallitzin. Category: Ninth through 12th Grade.

The winning poets and their works

“Parental Pruning,” by Evelyn Morath, 2026

Morath began reading and writing poetry in seventh grade. She said her poem titled “Parental Pruning” was inspired by a drawing she created of a flower that had cracks in its petals and leaves. It made her think about kids who are forced to grow up early and act like an adult before their time.

“My poem then morphed into one about societal pressures on an individual to conform to rigid expectations in the name of productivity, profit and perfection. While examining this concept, I realized that what we often label as maturity is more akin to a gradual decline of one’s spirit and untapped potential,” Morath said. “The poem reflects my frustration with a system that treats this stifling of individuality and the freedom of being childish, being able to just laugh and smile, as a necessary part of growing up. I aimed to challenge this rigid mindset by advocating for a culture that values uniqueness and nurtures our true selves, rather than binding us to narrow norms.”

“Where We First Took Root,” by Eliza Knott, 2026

Knott said the inspiration for her poem, “Where We First Took Root,” came from her childhood, when she and her siblings would run around outside, getting dirty, not worrying about too much and how life feels different to her now.

“I worry about things like school, my family, friends — even silly things like my hair. I wanted to hold onto that carefree feeling in some way, and I did that through writing,” Knott said. “I’ve always written a little, but it started to mean more to me when someone finally noticed it and told me it mattered. Mrs. Tietjens at Standing Stone Elementary School gave me a nice compliment during class and it boosted my confidence. After that, poetry became something I kept coming back to as a way to confide in my thoughts and feelings.”

Knott had some advice to share with new writers.

“Write about what stays with you. The people, the memories and feelings you can’t easily explain. That’s where I feel the best writing comes from,” Knott said.

Read all the award-winning poems on the Poetry Moment page on the WPSU website.

WPSU-TV, a PBS member station, serves 24 counties in central Pennsylvania and reaches 515,000 households, and WPSU-FM, an NPR member station, is accessible to more than 450,000 listeners in 13 counties. The public media station also includes WPSU Digital Studios, which offers original web series that explore science, arts, and culture.

WPSU is a service of Penn State Outreach.