The Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held Thursday, April 25, 4pm-5:30pm in Central Library’s Kate Gleason Auditorium. 

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 in grades nine through twelve.

Entries from public, private, charter schools and Home Schools are welcome!

In 1985, Mr. & Mrs. Eli and Mildred Sokol established an endowment, through the Community Foundation, that makes it possible for us to award monetary prizes to the winners and honoraria to the judges. We are pleased to offer a special performance prize in addition to the traditional prose and poetry prizes. Through the Sokols’ foresight and generosity, the Friends & Foundation of RPL will be able to encourage young writers for generations to come.

Cash Prizes

$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.

(the 2024 booklet will be posted on April 25)

View the 2023 Sokol Program booklet.

View the 2022 Sokol Program booklet.

Sokol Award Winners posted to SUNY Brockport’s Open Access Repository

Thanks to our partners at The College at Brockport, the complete collection of Sokol award winning entries (2015 through 2023) can be viewed and downloaded here.

Since 2015, winning entries have been collectively viewed and downloaded more than 2,000 times from 55 countries!