Winning entries are listed in contest-designated Themes and Categories.
SENSE OF WONDER THEME
Poem Category
First Place, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Caitlin, age 17, and Jean, age 55
“The New Me”
Second Place, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Huong, age 6, and Mong, age 40
“The Seedling Awakens”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Clare, age 17, and Cristina, age 42
“Tete-a-tete”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Renee, age 15, and Kate, age 50
“Rooted in Nature: a Pennsylvania Poem”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Elise, age 18, and Amy, age 51
“A Different Look at the World”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Hei, age 9, and Chun, age 40
“The Beauty of Nature”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Lennon, age 15, and Bruce, age 46
“Us, Our Thoughts, and Nature”
• • • • •
Essay Category
First Place, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Wanqing, age 15, and Xiao, age 80
“The Trees Never Laughed”
Second Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ashley, age 17, and Diane, age 60
“A Mother’s Love”
Second Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Juwon, age 15, and Leeseok, age 46
“From Concrete to Canyons: A Father’s Gift of Wonder”
Honorable Mention, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Anika, age 15, and Vidya, age 44
“Below the Surface”
Honorable Mention, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Camila, age 16, and Ysmelda, age 47
“Embracing Nature”
Honorable Mention, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Lailani, age 16, and Stephanie, age 52
“The Beauty Around Us”
• • • • •
Poem with Photograph Category
First Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Lucy, age 17, Louisa, age 15, and Sonia, age 47
“The Ripple We Leave Behind”
Second Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Colton, age 18, Logan, age 17, and Laura, age 54
“The Heartbeat of the Sun”
Honorable Mention, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Alannah, age 18, and Shannon, age 57
“Miles for Hours”
• • • • •
Essay with Photograph Category
First Place, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Aditya, age 16, and Rajiv, age 49
“My Garden’s Keeper”
Second Place, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ryan, age 17, and Marni, age 52
“Life Lessons from High Mountain Trails”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Anya, age 17, Benita, age 51, and Jyoti, age 72
“Finding My Way Back”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Tara, age 11, Divya, age 41, and Sharan, age 41
“The Day Wonder Found Me”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Benjamin, age 17, and Jenny, age 50
“Tiny Wings, Giant Meaning”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Aevlyn, age 13, Rohan, age 15, and Elizabeth, age 55
“Nature Has a Point of View”
SENSE OF WONDER/SENSE OF THE WILD THEME
Poem Category
First Place, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Charles, age 17, and Xuehai, age 61
“When the Bees Leave”
Second Place, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Olivia, age 17, and Danielle, age 46
“In the Tidal Zone, Sawyer Key”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Sophia, age 17, and Amy, age 52
“Echoes of the Deep”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Marissa, age 18, and Lindsay, age 42
“Poach”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Hunter, age 16, and Lori, age 49
“Nature’s Delights”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Alexa, age 17, and Claudia, age 43
“Healing Beauty”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Shubhi, age 17, and Ritu, age 54
“Land of the Free”
Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
William, age 17, Tanner, age 17, and Terri, age 54
“Autumn’s Goodbye”
• • • • •
Essay Category
First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Sofia, age 16, and Svetlana, age 45
“Where Wonder Learns to Work”
First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Amelie, age 16, and Jacob, age 50
“Exploring Through the Eyes of Ecology”
Second Place, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Ethan, age 15, and Audrey, age 55
“The Sound of Beauty: An Ode to the Worm”
Honorable Mention, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Jason, age 16, and Elizabeth, age 16, Lorraine, age 51
“Fishing in Maui”
• • • • •
Poem with Photograph Category
First Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Leni, age 17, and Rieke, age 54
“Solace in the Peaks”
Second Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Adelina, age 13, and Valerie, age 72
“Maple Eternal”
Honorable Mention, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Ava Marie, age 17, and Tracy, age 50
“A Witness”
• • • • •
Essay with Photograph Category
First Place, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Malwina, age 17, and Marzena, age 48
“A Shared Journey Between Earth and Sky”
Second Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Shriya, age 16, and Ambika, age 48
“Encountering the Queen”
Second Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Pareena, age 17, and Varupi, age 45
“Sediments of Memory on the Edge of Silicon Valley”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Siyul, age 15, and Stephen, age 62
“The Pitta at the Playground”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Eloise, age 17, and Anne, age 46
“Reminders Through the Window”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Han, age 17, and Thanh, age 29
“When the Light Wakes Up”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Jack, age 18, and Jennifer, age 54
“An Unexpected Friend”
General Comments for all 2025 Entrants
This year’s finalists include some of the strongest work we’ve seen to date—terrific entries from Poland, Hong Kong, Germany, Vietnam, India, Ukraine, and China, alongside outstanding work from the United States. Clearly the intergenerational exploration of nature continues to bring wisdom and delight worldwide. Collaborators include mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, guardians, teachers, and mentors, all contributing their time and attention to discover both wonder and connection. Some comments from participants highlight this aspect in particular:
“Nature became our shared language. Sometimes we didn’t need to speak, the stillness said enough. In those quiet, leafy moments, we found a connection that felt rooted and real.”
“Collaboration offered us opportunity to sit in silence and awe, escaping a technology-heavy world.”
“Through attentive presence, we discovered that belonging is not a journey to distant wilderness but a homecoming that begins when we stop observing and start nurturing what is at our feet.”
And finally: “..when else would I get a chance to sit down and write a poem with one of my parents?”
Across the heavens, over mountains, around jungles, lakes, and oceans, parks, and their own backyards, our teams find inspiration in bluebirds, blackbirds, beetles, tigers, chipmunks, sea turtles, leaves, trees, grasses, clouds, waves, ripples, in the distant cosmos and in the dirt beneath our feet. All of this they convey in stunning imagery, shared in words and photographs. What may be on the rise in this year’s entries, is an sense of stewardship and responsibility:
“To see nature clearly is to understand that every breath we take has been paid for by mosses, trees, microbes, rivers, coral, soil. Wonder is not escape from reality; it is entrance into it.”
“The sky invites wonder, but the Earth demands action.”
Implicit in all this intergenerational “wonder,” beyond the respite, the beauty, and despite the oft-perceived threat, is an underlying message of hope. As one participant wrote: “Upon exploring the burn scar, our sadness morphed to curiosity about the unexpected resilience. Together, my dad and I have witnessed a regrowth that has inspired us both to look inwards and see that sometimes a challenge is the best catalyst for positive growth, even against the odds.”
Once again, we thank you, Rachel Carson.
