{"id":15113930,"date":"2026-05-21T03:55:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T07:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/georgia-poet-laureates-prize-2026-meet-the-winner-and-finalists\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T04:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T08:00:53","slug":"georgia-poet-laureates-prize-2026-meet-the-winner-and-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/georgia-poet-laureates-prize-2026-meet-the-winner-and-finalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Poet Laureate\u2019s Prize 2026: Meet the winner and finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

\"Georgia<\/a>Launched in 2014 by former Georgia poet laureate Judson Mitcham, in collaboration with the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Georgia Poet Laureate\u2019s Prize is an annual program designed to encourage works by teen writers. It is open to all students in grades 9 through 12. Read more about its inception here<\/a> and meet the 2026 winners and finalists below, selected by state poet laureate Chelsea Rathburn.<\/p>\n

Winner<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cPeach State Migration<\/strong>\u201d
\n<\/strong>By Jaiden Geolingo<\/p>\n

This part of sightseeing is always the hardest,
\nwhen the chandelier dies out &
\nwe\u2019re left with more trees. On this pasture there is no<\/p>\n

gentle method of return. I could see my country\u2019s geometry
\nfrom the rearview mirror, congruent
\n& filled with mayflies. Another dead end<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve left behind. The turnpike we passed through
\nis a clot of farewells, & dad drove beneath
\nthe interstate\u2019s guide signs towards a tunnel of light.<\/p>\n

Here is the Atlanta air we\u2019ve been dreaming of.
\nThe sting of it. Another ferris wheel pulsates in the nocturne
\n& I\u2019m dreaming about a potential snow harvest. & how I worry<\/p>\n

about the perforated peaches behind me, the passports
\ndisheveled in a Walmart parking lot.
\nI don\u2019t know what to make of the weathervane<\/p>\n

pointing to perpetual typhoon; I want to believe
\nthat some good will come out of it,
\nlike a crow song harmonizing in the distance, despite its crowness.<\/p>\n

We are throwing away ripe fruit
\nat the flea market without an allegory. I want to return
\nto the pungent roads & the sewer-air, but<\/p>\n

the rest are still perfectly adequate: like a
\nparable with no holy ending, or a simile with no
\ndesirable quality. So much desire is here, leftover, as a keepsake.<\/p>\n

Here are both our entrance & exit hymns. How it\u2019s full of love.
\nThis oracle. These massacres cycloned into a dark room.
\nWhat is there to love but the mountain ranges.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jaiden Geolingo<\/strong> is a Filipino writer from Howard High School and the author of How to Migrate Ghosts<\/em> (kith books, 2025). His work has been recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation, the Georgia Council for the Arts, and the Alliance for Young Writers & Artists, among others. Winner of the 2026 Louise Louis\/Emily F. Bourne Student Poetry Award, his writing appears or is forthcoming in diode poetry journal<\/em>, Poetry Society of America, Tupelo Quarterly<\/em>, DIALOGIST<\/em>, Writers Digest<\/em>, and elsewhere. He is the editor-in-chief of Hominum Journal<\/em> and a Best of the Net nominee. Jaiden is working on a chapbook titled Hymnal of Hourglasses<\/em> and a co-authored poetry collection titled HEARTLAND<\/em>. He thanks everyone in his life for the unending support.<\/p>\n

\n

Finalists (alphabetical by author’s last name)
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWalking to Make Sense\u201d
\n<\/strong>By Langston Biestman<\/p>\n

I will be going walking
\nFor myself, and everything else.
\nCars tear past to the side, whipping up gales
\nThat seep into my fingernail bones and licorice flesh,
\nRipping at my jacket to get inside.
\nThree feet of broken pavement are the only ward
\nFrom the purpose slipping away.<\/p>\n

Crumbling houses listen to me leave,
\nGrinding footfalls falling upon fading ears,
\nAnd a cat accompanies me, wearing a collar
\nThat glints and jingles louder than I.
\nIt\u2019s never meant to last, and the cat,
\nMewling in biting disgust,
\nDisembarks, searching for elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The sense, the broken pavement,
\nThe cars, cat, and collar all fall to the back.
\nIt\u2019s come to a head, and I choose down,
\nUnderneath the bridge, where the railroad tracks
\nAre lined out under the snow and trash.
\nThe marks of years past are finally found.<\/p>\n

Dozens had been there
\nTo leave their graffiti up above,
\nAnd maybe they appreciated it then,
\nWhen it was vulgar and fresh,
\nBut no one is there now.
\nOnly I remain, a statement,
\nAnd I\u2019m waiting for the right moment
\nTo leave.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>Langston Biestman<\/strong> is a junior at Lakeside High School, a member of the IB program, and a clarinetist in the school’s wind ensemble and marching band. Pursuing a job centered around animals and science, he finds enjoyment in chemistry and biology, though he always holds a place in is heart for literature and history. He loves poetry and is honored to see his work held to such a high standard. For pastimes, he likes listening to music or playing it on the piano, going on long walks or runs in Augusta, or simply reading or researching his interests.<\/p>\n

\n

“Emmanuel in the Walmart Parking Lot”<\/strong>
\nBy Gabrielle Christie<\/p>\n

my brother is laid out in the parking lot. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and in the morning, the cleanup crew will come.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and when they leave\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 only the chalk will remember\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 where he was.\u00a0 in a week they will remove the tape\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and the police will forget\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 his name.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 there will be a black mama crying\u00a0\u00a0 over the loss of her baby boy\u2014 her baby boy she named Emmanuel\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 who she said\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 could do anything in the world.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 she said: give your grace\u2014 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 give your praise to God and my child, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He will see that you are done right.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 he prayed every day.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 now emmanuel is surrounded by bleach and scalpels.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and they cleaned his blood off the asphalt.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and his mama is banging on the walls in her cell \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 because the police said she was disrupting the \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 peace.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 she looks up to the sky and says:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 emmanuel, baby\u2014 my emmanuel, my son, my gift, my peace.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 she says she will not rest until they are put away.
\nnext week, emmanuel\u2019s mama is in a tree.<\/p>\n

This poem contains special formatting. View the original format here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Gabrielle Christie<\/strong> is a senior at the Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology in Conyers, Georgia. Her writing has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and she has attended the Georgia Governor\u2019s Honors Program to major in communicative arts. Gabrielle is very passionate about the power of writing and storytelling to drive change. Her work in advocacy and the arts has shown her how creative expression can bridge divides. Gabrielle would like to thank her speech and debate coach, Mrs. Cherie Ullo, for her continued support throughout her high school career. She would also like to thank her family and friends for giving her the space to explore herself creatively.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cConfessions of a Little Brother\u201d
\n<\/strong>after <\/em>The Little Owl, Albrecht Durer, 1506<\/em>
\nBy Samanyu Ganesh<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

the glue still smells like sugar & dust & dried mango skins when I remember the day I betrayed her and told those guys waiting in the carpool line that the beautiful owl had not been her own & she cried and wondered how I could do that & I asked if she had any leftover candy in the pink-plumed box & tomorrow I\u2019ll forget this but she won\u2019t & I wonder if she\u2019ll always resent me for it & Mama too & the night prior we had sat in the living room on an ashy, kerneled rug & Mama had swept away the peanut shells & sculpted a feathered shoebox & I watched but not closely enough & Mama could have been anywhere in the world & in line at Disneyland & promptly on a flight to see the real Neuschwanstein Castle yet she was here in our living room and I wasn\u2019t sure why.<\/p>\n

its red papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 belly, brimming with party favors and Fun Dip, quivered like a heartbeat trapped beneath floorboards of tissue paper & in retrospect, maybe the owl knew more than I did & maybe it kept score in those black-currant, unblinking googly-eyes, patient as the stars<\/p>\n

& my repentance complete, I felt the soft tremor of its wing against the windowpane<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Samanyu Ganesh<\/strong>, 18, is a senior at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. Samanyu is passionate about poetry, math, music, and the social sciences. He has won multiple Regional Keys and National Medals in the annual Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (for poetry, journalism, short stories, and critical essays), and currently serves on the editorial staff of Evolutions<\/em>, his school’s poetry and fiction magazine. He is the winner of the 2025 American Mathematical Society Poetry Contest, High School Division. Outside of writing, Samanyu is an avid quiz bowler and plays the cello. His hobbies include running, watching Formula One Racing, going to concerts, and following the NBA\u2014and, as of late, NHL hockey (specifically the Boston Bruins) in anticipation of his next four years at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Incidentally, he was also one of the four finalists for the Georgia Poet Laureate Prize in 2024.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe Were Pompeii<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong>
\nBy Lexi Markham<\/p>\n

I
\nMy grief was an open map
\nStill under construction,
\nIn praise of robbery and shadow<\/p>\n

Cinema shapes in Pompeii
\nProjected on the silhouette of ruins
\nStress dreamlike images\u2014
\nGods of dust
\nDilapidated pieces
\nVanished days,<\/p>\n

II
\nThese were the ashes of memories,
\nLabors from
\nTravelling to excavate
\nThe underworld itself,<\/p>\n

III
\nI walk into your perfectly preserved house.
\nStorerooms like arguments
\nOf display<\/p>\n

IV
\nBehind the plastic sheeting and scaffolding,
\nRemnants were mosaics.<\/p>\n

V
\nSilhouettes
\nNow viewless
\nFeeding my shadowy
\nPast world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>Lexi Markham<\/strong> is a junior at The Paideia School and a 2024-2026 Atlanta Youth Poet Laureate. She has attended Interlochen, Kenyon, and Smith summer writing programs, and this summer will attend Governor’s Honors for Communicative Arts. Her work has been published by Vox ATL and the National Youth Poet Laureate Website and recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She has also helped write a guided teen mental health workbook with Free Your Feels, and a poetry anthology with Vox ATL. She works as a commissioned writer for Vox ATL and the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and regularly performs at poetry events around Atlanta, speaking at nonprofit fundraisers and local colleges. In her free time, she enjoys reading Topaz Winters, practicing the guitar, and learning how to dance.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The post Georgia Poet Laureate\u2019s Prize 2026: Meet the winner and finalists<\/a> appeared first on Atlanta Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source: Atlanta Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Launched in 2014 by Judson Mitcham in collaboration with the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Georgia Poet Laureate’s Prize is an annual program designed to encourage works by teen writers. Read the works of the 2026 winner and finalists.
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