Nilüfer Bektas will read her winning poems at Bucks County Community College
in Newtown Saturday, May 17
Nilüfer Bektas, a junior at Harry S. Truman High School in Bristol Township, has been named the 2025 Bucks County High School Poet of the Year, officials at Bucks County Community College announced.
Bektas rose to the top of more than 120 entries from all over the county, according to Professor Ethel Rackin, director of the Bucks County Poet Laureate Program, which includes the annual High School Poet of the Year contest. Bektas receives a $300 prize
for her winning poems.
Rackin said the judges noted that all entries were strong for the 38 th year for the program. Each student submitted three poems, which were judged by current Bucks County Poet Laureate Lake Angela and last year’s poet laureate Tara Tamburello.
The judges also named three runners-up in the contest. They are Evie Lee, a senior at Solebury School, first runner-up; Jack DeBoyace, a junior at Central Bucks East, second runner-up; and Addison Carr, a junior at Central Bucks West, third runner-up.
More than a dozen finalists were also recognized by the judges.
A reading and celebration will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 17, in room 142 of Tyler Hall on the college’s Newtown campus. The event will feature winners, finalists, and judges. Bucks County Community College is located at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., 18940, where there is ample free parking. For a campus map and directions, visit
bucks.edu/newtown.
38 th Annual Bucks County High School Poet of the Year: Final Standings 2025
Winner: Nilüfer Bektas, Harry S. Truman High School, 11th Grade Poems: “An Unspoken Eulogy,” “Heat Lightning,” and “Liberty”
Finalists:
Jennifer Alpert, Council Rock High School South, 12th
Steven Belder, Council Rock High School South, 12th
Avery Devlin, Council Rock High School South, 12th
Maisarah Aminah Dombrowski, Pennsbury High School, 10th
Sophia Evola, Central Bucks High School South, 10th
Anastasiya Golub, Council Rock High School South, 12th
