Winners of USC Sumter Spring Poetry Contest Announced

by Alethia Hummel

Sumter, SC (06/23/2026) — The University of South Carolina Sumter recently announced the winners of the 41st Annual USC Sumter Spring Poetry Contest. This year's competition saw students from Sumter County middle and high schools submit poems with the support of their teachers.

The mission of the USC Sumter Poetry Contest is to promote writing and reading in complex forms, provide a creative outlet for young poets, celebrate the talents of youth in our community and lastly, honor the teachers and schools that support these poets.

The winners were announced during a presentation which featured readings from the contest's finalists. Finalists for this year's competition included middle schoolers Brooklynn Moore, Anya Royal, Catie Avance, Danielle Anderson, Milliana Starcevich, Zlata Tarskaia, Penelope Benson, Leonardo Behrman-Ortegon, Armoni Vidro and Tristan Martin.

High school finalists were Abbigayle Benenhaley, Aiden Steele-Allen,
Anna Bell, Elmer Atkinson, Eshan Patel, Aubrey Robinson, Samara Word,
Skylah Segre, Olivia Newman and Tyler Williams.

2026 winners and their poems were:

Middle School
1st Place - Brooklynn Moore, Thomas Sumter Academy, for "Untitled"
2nd Place - Danielle Anderson, Hillcrest Middle School, for "The Dark Room"
3rd Place - Zlata Tarskaia, Hillcrest Middle School, for "Love"

High School
1st Place - Abbigayle Benenhaley, Thomas Sumter Academy, for "Memory"
2nd Place - Elmer Atkinson, Crestwood High School, for "Basic Poem"
3rd Place - Skylah Segre, Sumter High School, for "I Hate Poetry"

The contest was organized by USC Sumter faculty members Vincent Frontero, Instructor of English, and Dr. Ray McManus, Interim Executive Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

"It is such an incredible joy to be able to host this event each year and to get to see our local students showcase their artistic endeavors. It is especially rewarding to be able to facilitate this connection between the University and the Sumter County Community," said Vincent Frontero.

The organizers would like to thank those that helped make the contest possible including Damien Picariello, Interim Chair of the Division of Arts and Letters, Emily Ray, Administrative Assistant, Stacy Nance, Executive Assistant to the Dean, Alethia Hummel, Director of Marketing and Public Relations and lastly the Sumter Partnership of the USC Educational Foundation.