Winners Announced in the 2026 Mattie Stepanek Poetry Contest

rutlandliving
11 minutes ago
1 min read

Once again, young writers from around the world have shared powerful, creative, and deeply moving work. Entries were judged by Dr. Jeni Stepanek, peace advocate and mother of the late poet and peacemaker Mattie J.T. Stepanek.

This year, students were invited to write a poem, create a film, a piece of art, or audio that explores their thoughts and feelings about courage and how courage can be a tool for peace.

Said Jeni, "This year’s entries from the students were excellent but, like last year, filled with 'heavy' content. My heart goes out to all these young people. The Crooked Umbrella by Zhiheng Xie was very special to me."

OVERALL WINNERS:

Courage is a Crooked Umbrella by Zhiheng Xie