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The Tomorrow Project — Monthly Awards
Congratulations to The Tomorrow Project's monthly award winners!
Each month, a YWP writer or visual artist participating in The Tomorrow Project is honored with a $50 gift from YWP and publication in The Voice. See the winning submissions here.
FEBRUARY 2026 AWARD
Finding hope can be hard sometimes,
in this world where people are trodden on with little thought, and certainly no apologies.
But I still try.
Every day.
I look up at the sky and try to find a way past the clouds to where the sun is still shining.
Sometimes I get there, other times not.
My friends and I make hope together through smiles and laughter and inside jokes.
I sometimes feel like I’m just playing along.
But it still makes a little hope bead up inside my heart.
And the hope fights against the terror and the pain.
But not with claws and teeth, with sunlight and gentle breezes.
Finding hope is necessary these days.
Because without it, I don’t know what I’d do.
[This poem was written in response to The Tomorrow Project challenge, Hope & Resilience: Poetry steps in where uncertainty and chaos take root. It lifts us up and moves us forward with determination. Share your poetry.]
See all Tomorrow Project challenges
JANUARY 2026 AWARD
By Goldenrose
[This mixed media piece was created in response to the challenge, Human Rights — Visual Art: How do you celebrate and stand up for human rights through art?]
DECEMBER 2025 AWARD
when i was thirteen i held a wrapper in my hand
covered in red white and blue lettering
a tribute to the land you once loved dearly
but along with so many things you once loved
it floated away with the wind
looking for a better place
where the freedom
we all once had
still remains
[This poem was written in response to the challenge, The American Experiment: What does it mean to be American? Can we still find the answer in the Declaration of Independence — that each person has the equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?]
NOVEMBER 2025 AWARD
Life is
meant to be lived
fully and completely.
You need to commit.
Fully.
You aren’t meant to dip one toe in from the edge.
You’re meant to dive in
with no hesitation,
no “what ifs.”
The people who do that
are the ones who make every day
thrilling,
who care so much
with their whole heart
about life and those who live it
that they are willing to
risk their whole heart
to make yours a little lighter.
These are the people you can count on
to send you a hug
wrapped up in little glitters of their love
any time you need it.
You might not even notice
when they lift the weight,
but the next time you turn inwards to confront it
it will be missing.
These are the people
who together
find a way to share their immense love for the world
with everyone.
[This poem was written in response to the challenge Life Gifts: "Little, nameless, unremembered, acts of kindness and of love." Can you think of a time, person, or place that brings William Wordsworth's words to life for you? In poetry or prose, capture the sentiment.]
all Tomorrow Project challenges
TOMORROW PROJECT PHASE 1 AWARDS
[Top art credit: "Between Peace and Light," Vivien Sorce, YWP Archive]