Applications Open: 2026 Young Armenian Poets Awards in Honor of Tamar Asadouri

Applications Open: 2026 Young Armenian Poets Awards in Honor of Tamar Asadourian

The International Armenian Literary Alliance, in partnership with h-pem, is pleased to open the 2026 Young Armenian Poets Awards in Honor of Tamar Asadourian, an annual contest that recognizes and provides a platform for exceptional Armenian writers between the ages of 14 and 18.

Gregory Djanikian writes, “The future remains always available to us until death. It is our great act of imagination which gives us the opportunity to pursue what we long for… a vast tabula rasa where anything might be written.” We invite young Armenian poets to write towards an Armenian future. What might the future of Armenianness look like—not only as a nation, but also as a culture, a language, and an identity you are actively shaping? We ask writers to imagine forward: to consider what endures, what transforms, and what has yet to be created. Poems may explore personal or collective visions of the future, they may be grounded in lived experience, or they may reach into speculation, memory, symbolism, or hope. What could be possible?

IALA encourages submissions from any young writer who identifies as Armenian, no matter gender identity and _expression_, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, national origin, socio-economic class, educational background, personal style/appearance, citizenship and immigration status, or political affiliation.

Submissions will be read by IALA Advisory Board members and judges Gregory Djanikian, Armine Iknadossian and Raffi Wartanian. A total of $600 will be granted to the authors of the three top poems selected by the judges ($200 for each author). Winning poems will be published online on IALA’s and h-pem’s respective websites in the fall of 2026. Winning authors will be invited to read their work at IALA’s annual Emerging Writers Showcase. Finally, the winning authors will receive a copy of Tamar Asadourian’s poetry collection, I remember you my future…

IALA is looking to honor work that exhibits invention, technical skill, and the emergence of a unique voice or vision. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) on April 30, 2026. You can learn about submission guidelines, read previous winning poems, and submit work here.

 “Over the past five years, the Young Armenian Poets Awards have created space for courage and the imagination, and it has been truly inspirational to hear Armenian teen writers from all over the world express their dreams, hopes, and concerns through artful and inventive poetry. We are proud to have spotlighted twenty unique voices to date and look forward to celebrating new ones this year,” says YAPA Founder and Director Alan Semerdjian.

YAPA is made possible by a generous donation from members of Tamar’s family, Sam and Tamig Ekizian.

Tamar Asadourian (1980-2020) was an accomplished pianist, author and artist. At 16, she performed at Carnegie Hall, and was acclaimed as “an absorbing artist of uncommon sensitivity and intelligence.” While studying at the Manhattan School of Music, Asadourian was forced to give up the piano due to illness. She suffered from severe depression, and dedicated herself to writing, drawing and the arts. After her untimely death, a collection of her poetry, prose and artwork was published in a volume entitled I remember you my future… (Naregatsi Art Institute, Yerevan, Armenia, 2022). Read more of Asadourian’s writing here.

The International Armenian Literary Alliance (IALA) supports and celebrates writers and translators around the world by fostering the development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language, and in translation.