In 1994, Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks began talking to the Guild Complex about creating a contest in which Illinois poets would read their poetry to win a cash prize. She wanted a way to encourage people to write poetry and share it with others. The Guild, which already had a long-standing relationship with Gwendolyn Brooks, loved the idea and immediately worked to make it happen. In June of that year, Gwendolyn Brooks sat in the audience of the first Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards. A total of 76 poets read in a program that took 3.5 hours. She listened to every poem read. When the winner was selected, she walked up to the stage, pulled a checkbook out of her bag, and personally wrote the winner the check for $500. Since then, the Guild Complex has run the awards every year and ensures that they remain welcoming, inclusive events that celebrate a wide range of styles and poets from across the state of Illinois.