2024 Pongo Poetry Prize
For over a decade, we have been proud to present the Pongo Poetry Prize, awarded on an annual basis for poetry submitted through Well-Versed, our online poetry submission program.
Included above is “A Palestinian Mother,” by Samah, the 2024 prize winning poem, accompanied by an author statement offering more context on the piece, and the writer’s perspective on Pongo. In addition, we’ve included four honorable mentions from the year. Congratulations to Samah, our award winner, and Maya, Shubham, Aamuktha, Nonhlanhla for their honorable mentions.
All of us are extremely grateful for the honesty and insight of all the young people – including those featured here – that shared their heartfelt writing with us last year. Take a moment to read through their pieces and join us in celebrating the talent and creativity of these youth poets!
