The Detroit Mercy Department of English is proud to announce the winners of this year’s Dudley Randall Poetry Prizes! Eliza Makhdoom earned first place for the poem, Backrooms.
Now in its 56th year, the prize continues Dudley Randall’s legacy of amplifying creative voices within the Detroit Mercy community. This year’s prize-winning poems can be read on the Dudley Randall Poetry Prize webpage.
The winning poems will also be displayed in the McNichols Campus Library for National Poetry Month this April.
The winners are:
- First place: Eliza Makhdoom, Backrooms
- Second place (tie): Zahra Albdair, While the House was Full
- Second place (tie): Eemi Toma, The Perfume Bottle
- Third place: Melissa (Mel) Converse, Bleeding Heart
- Honorable Mention: Ashleigh Dixon, The Bell I No Longer Hear
- Honorable Mention: Jenna Saker, Last Witness
Congratulations to all of the excellent poets who submitted their work! Special thanks to our 2026 judges: Melba Joyce Boyd (Michigan Poet Laureate), Joanna Fuhrman and Molly Barlow.
