Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Downers Grove South High School Entry Title: Ole 60 delivers a raw, lived-in portrait of home with ‘Smokestack Town’ Entry Credit: Delaney Lamm Judge Comment: From the first sentence onward, this writer proves to have a mastery of poetry akin to that of the artist they are reviewing.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Stevenson High School Entry Title: Wicked: For Good Movie Review Entry Credit: Samantha Gingiss, Ella Liu Judge Comment: The structure of two interweaved voices allows for richer insights than a standard review would.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: New Trier High School Entry Title: ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ made me go through all five stages of grief Entry Credit: Isabella Castro Judge Comment: The review effectively builds to a most provocative question regarding whether our own society has already become the one portrayed in "Hunger Games."
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Stevenson High School Entry Title: Life of a Showgirl Review Entry Credit: Sanvi Gupta, Ellie Miller Judge Comment: As someone still unschooled in Taylor Swift, this review succeeded in bringing me a deeper understanding of her work.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: New Trier High School Entry Title: ‘Chromakopia’ deserves Rap Album of the Year Entry Credit: Bayla Siedband Judge Comment: The writer makes a very persuasive case for why Tyler, The Creator was deserving of a Grammy for his latest achingly personal album.
Competition Comment: It's wonderful to see these young writers making bold moves in their work by exploring not just the art itself but how it is reflective of the society in which it was created.
