Poly Student Writers Excel in National Achievement Awards

Poly is proud to announce that all five of its student nominees earned recognition in the 2025 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Achievement Awards in Writing, one of the most prestigious national contests for student writers.

This year, Allison Z. ’26, Maddie D. ’26, Sophie A. ’26, and Filiz F. ’26 received the top distinction of First Class, while Kaitlyn C. ’27 earned the Superior Award.

The NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing recognize students for exceptional skill in expression of ideas, language use, and unique perspective and voice. For 2025, schools across the United States and abroad nominated 680 students from 41 states, Washington, D.C., and eight countries including China, South Korea, and Switzerland.

The contest is highly competitive: the “First Class” designation is the program’s highest recognition, representing essays of extraordinary creativity and insight. Poly’s four First Class awardees account for a significant share of California’s top honors, making this accomplishment especially impressive.

“It's very special and remarkable that all five Poly nominees won awards, and especially the fact that four out of 24 First Class prizes in California were awarded to Poly students. It's really a testament to the effort that each of these students put into writing and rewriting their work. I hope other students take inspiration from them and pursue writing beyond the classroom," said Upper School English Teacher and Writers Center Coordinator Rachel Pringle.

Poly congratulates Kaitlyn, Sophie, Maddie, Filiz, and Allison on this national recognition of their creativity and voice. Please read on for quotes from the students about what the awards mean to them.

I remember editing my NCTE essay while staying in my fourth Airbnb, displaced by the wildfires in L.A. The prompt was about how literature heals, and although I focused on how reading The Talented Mr. Ripley during the pandemic comforted me, writing about Tom Ripley gave me that same soothing effect during this more recent period of chaos. I'm glad that my personal escapism resonated with others. —Sophie A. ’26

Winning this award is especially meaningful because it validates not only my writing, but my personal journey through the exploration of my identity and heritage, and the stories that continue to shape who I am. –Kaitlyn C. ’27

I’m incredibly grateful to have been nominated for and recognized by the NCTE. Writing my essay for the competition, I was able to reflect on what literature means to me and how books have shaped my life since I was a child. I was also so happy to see Poly represented as four of the 24 First Class winners from California! —Filiz F. ’26

This recognition is especially meaningful to me as a reflection of how I’ve grown as a writer, nurtured under the guiding auspices of our incredible English department here at Poly. I am deeply honored and excited to continue exploring how my words can shape understanding, spark empathy, and bring life to stories that matter. —Maddie D. ’26

NCTE gave me the chance to reflect on how literature can serve as both comfort and growth. I’m grateful that this competition doesn’t impose strict parameters, but instead allows us to explore in ways that feel most meaningful to us. —Allison Z. ’26