New Jersey girl, 10, reaches national poetry contest top 10 from thousands of entries

A 10-year-old girl from New Jersey has been named among the Top 10 winners of a national poetry competition in the United States for a poem inspired by her Colombian heritage. Luisa Gonzalez, a fifth-grade student from Cherry Hill, received the recognition for her poem All Stitched Together, which was selected from thousands of entries submitted by students across the country.Luisa secured a place in the grades 4 to 6 category of Creative Communication's Summer 2026 poetry contest. Her poem, listed on the competition's official website, draws on the colours of the Colombian flag to explore her identity as a Colombian American. Through the idea of different colours being joined together, she describes how her two cultural backgrounds form part of who she is.According to South Jersey Media, the idea came to Luisa when she was thinking about the Colombian flag and the way its colours fit together.

She wanted her poem to reflect her cultural background while encouraging others to take pride in their own identities.Luisa had participated in the competition several times before and received honourable mentions, but had never reached the Top 10.

How Luisa found out about her poetry award

Reaching the Top 10 was a goal Luisa had been working towards for some time. Her mother, Lauren Gonzalez, knew how much it meant to her because she had continued submitting poems despite not securing a place among the top winners in previous attempts.

Lauren shared the competition results with Luisa one morning while she was preparing for school. The news left her excited, particularly because she had finally achieved something she had been trying to accomplish."A smile spread across my face and I jumped up and down!" Luisa told South Jersey Media. "I was so glad I won top 10 because I have never won top 10 before in that contest, so I was thrilled."

How a love for books led Luisa to poetry

Luisa's interest in poetry developed from her earlier attempts at storytelling and songwriting.

She was already making her own books in first grade, using folded sheets of printer paper for a series she called The Brave Girl Series. In the following years, she began writing songs, and it was a suggestion from her aunt that encouraged her to explore poetry.Reading has also been an important part of her routine. Her mother told South Jersey Media that Luisa frequently reads during everyday activities, including car journeys to soccer practice.

Her interest in books and writing eventually led her parents to encourage her participation in poetry competitions and public readings.

"I first started writing songs before I wrote poems!" Luisa explained. "Once my aunt remarked I would be a great poet after reading my songs, I decided to write poetry as well as songs."With encouragement from her family, Luisa began taking part in local writing competitions and sharing her work at open mic events at Inkwood Books in Haddonfield.Her literary interests extend beyond poetry. She admires the works of Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, as well as songwriter Dolly Parton and Harry Potter author J K Rowling.

What is Luisa's winning poem All Stitched Together about?

Luisa's family continues to maintain a connection with Colombia, where her grandparents live. They travel there every other year and remain in contact through virtual conversations between visits. Her grandparents also visit the family in the United States.Spanish is part of family life, with her father, Francisco, speaking the language to the children at home. Luisa and one of her younger brothers also take Spanish classes locally.These family experiences form part of the cultural background Luisa wanted to express in All Stitched Together. Through the colours of the Colombian flag, she explored what it means to grow up with both Colombian and American identities."Hispanic Heritage means so much to me," she said. "It means to be proud of yourself as a Hispanic, and to be you."

From local poetry competitions to national recognition

Luisa had experience presenting her work to audiences even before receiving the national award. She has taken part in community events, including the Collingswood Hispanic Heritage Festival, and also secured first place in Collingswood's Youth Poetry Contest.However, speaking in front of an audience was initially difficult for her.

She said that she worried about making mistakes, especially when presenting one of her poems in Spanish. With experience, she became more comfortable reading her work publicly.Her growing confidence has also been visible at school. According to her mother, Luisa had previously preferred not to tell her school about a local poetry award. This year, she decided to share her achievement with her principal, who responded with encouraging emails and video messages.Luisa, who has three younger brothers, hopes to continue writing as she grows older. She wants to become a teacher, poet and author, and hopes to encourage other children to develop their interests. "I would love to encourage others to stay curious," she said.According to Creative Communication's official website, the other nine students selected as Top 10 winners in the grades 4 to 6 category of the Summer 2026 poetry contest were Patti-Rose Gonzalez, Eugene Wong, Eli Johnson, Hanifa Khan, Henry Wang, Aila Adeline, Anna Zhao, Jayceon Jones and Luke Feirstein.