Chadds Ford teen Isabella Hanson has been running her “I Matter” poetry contest since 2020 and it’s bigger than ever, reports the 6abc staff.

The first year, Hanson received about 150 submissions from students around the world.

By 2022, that number had risen to over 700.

The 16-year-old started the “I Matter” contest while a freshman in high school when she wrote her own poetry to express the sadness and helplessness she felt after the killing of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

In the process, she learned about other poets and how they used poetry to express themselves.

So she decided to invite others to enter a contest and send her their poems.

“I’m really excited to begin just reading all the poems and see what awesome work kids around the world have done,” said Hanson.

She chooses 10 poems each year and puts them in a hard cover book, which she donates to libraries during her travels.

Her most recent trip was to London, where she received the 2022 Diana Award, recognizing inspiring young people from the UK and around the world.

She also conducted a children’s workshop about the messages in her poetry collections.

Read more at 6abc.com about poet Isabella Hanson.