The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 “Discover, Inspire, Create: TMA Poetry Prize.” The annual contest invites youth and adult writers to create original poems inspired by select works from the museum’s collection. More than 80 entries were received this year, reflecting the creativity and passion of writers from across the region. 

A panel of local poets and writers—Sandra Rivers-Gill, Timothy Gelger, and Kerry Trautman—reviewed submissions anonymously and selected the following winners: 

Youth Category 

• First Place: Freddy Muler, Toledo, for “Crosshatched Sky.” 

• Second Place: Sanibel Kujawa, Toledo, for “The Kind of Life I Want to Live.” 

• Third Place: Jack Lehnert, Toledo, for “The Observer’s Diner.” 

Adult Category 

• First Place: Sydney Koeplin, Bowling Green, for “Seams.” 

• Second Place: Kaitlyn Altobelli, Bowling Green, for “Reflections on Thermal Shock.” 

• Third Place: Mary Robles, Bowling Green, for “Invisible Daughter.” 

• Honorable Mention: Melayna Pongratz, Bowling Green, “Mineral.” 

“This contest is one of the many ways the Toledo Museum of Art integrates art into the lives of people,” said Alison Thomas, Docent and Gallery Engagement Supervisor at TMA. “It is always inspiring to see how our visitors use language to interpret, respond to, and connect with the works in our galleries. Poetry invites us to slow down and see art—and the world—through a more imaginative and personal lens.” 

The poets were honored during an awards ceremony held May 10 in the museum’s Glass Pavilion. Their winning poems will be displayed alongside the artworks that inspired them and featured on TMA’s website. 

For more information, visit toledomuseum.org/events.