Niles West High School sophomore Raahil Lakha was named a winner in the 2026 Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards competition for his poem, “Sometimes.”

Lakha’s poem was selected from 1,063 submissions from across Illinois. He wrote “Sometimes” in his Freshman English class during the 2025-26 school year and submitted the poem to the competition. He was one of 26 winners selected in the statewide competition and one of two ninth-grade winners. The competition recognizes student poets from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Winning poets read their poems during the awards ceremony held on September 19, 2026, at the Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago. 

For more information, visit the Illinois Humanities website.