Chicago-area high school students can win up to $250 in literary competition

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame (CLHOF) invites Chicago-area students currently enrolled in grades nine to 12 to submit their work for consideration for the 2024 Randall Albers Young Writers Award.

Now in its second year, the award seeks to honor Randall Albers, one of the city's most dedicated teachers of writing, and to celebrate the literary gifts of Chicago's youth.

This year's contest welcomes entries in either prose or poetry and offers the following awards in each of those two categories: $250 to 1st place winners, $150 to 2nd place, $100 to 3rd place and $50 to 4th place. Each winner will also receive a writing consultation with one of the editors for DePaul's Blue Book: Best American High School Writing 2024. The winner and finalists will be announced in late March and honored at an awards ceremony on May 11 at the Harold Washington Library Center.

Submissions are open now through 5 p.m. on Feb. 16. Young writers can visit chicagoliteraryhof.org to learn more about the contest and to submit their work. Entrants must reside in Chicago or one of its surrounding counties (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will) but can attend any school, including online or homeschool, within or outside of these areas. Submission is free and a full list of the contest rules and guidelines is available on the CHLOF website.

The CLHOF chose to name this award after Randall Albers as a way of honoring his longstanding commitment to mentoring and encouraging young writers in the Chicago area. Randall is Professor and Chair Emeritus of Fiction at Columbia College Chicago and his writing, volunteerism, teaching and generous spirit have earned him a cherished place in the hearts and minds of the Chicago literary community.

The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame's mission is to honor, preserve, and celebrate Chicago's great literary heritage-past, present, and future.