FFRPL, Central Library, and all city branches will be *closed* Thanksgiving Day (Thurs., Nov. 27)
Entries from Monroe County public, private, charter schools and Home Schools are welcome!
Judging is by a special committee and experts in each field. Winners are announced in the Spring.
View/download the 2026 Sokol Flyer with all contest details
About the Sokol Awards
Since 1958, the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library has sponsored a creative writing contest for Monroe County high school students. Entries from public, private, charter schools and Home Schools are welcomed.
In 1985, Eli & Mildred Sokol established an endowment through the Community Foundation, which makes it possible for FFRPL to award monetary prizes to the winners, and honoraria to the judges. The Sokols’ foresight and generosity ensures that FFRPL will be able to maintain this legacy program for young writers in perpetuity.
$1,500 in cash prizes are awarded: $300 for first prize (Prose and Poetry); $200 for second prize (Prose and Poetry); $100 for third prize (Prose and Poetry); and one $300 prize for Performance. If a group wins the performance prize, the prize is equally divided by the number of people in the group.
Thanks to our partners at The College at Brockport, the complete collection of Sokol award winning entries from 2015 can be viewed and downloaded.
Cumulatively, winning entries have been viewed 2,387 times, from 63 countries!
