Thank you to everyone who entered this year's Young People's Creative Writing Contest! We had over 600 entries this year to send to our judges -- wow! Below is a full list of winners, and attached at the bottom of this blog post are scanned copies of the winning entries. Winners will be honored in an award ceremony on Friday, May 4, at 7 pm, at the Hardesty Regional Library's Connor's Cove Theatre. All are welcome to attend the ceremony and hear author Pam Muñoz Ryan speak about writing, books, and her life as an author. Congratulations to all the winners!
POETRY
10-12
1st: “Uh-oh!” by Brynlee Smith
2nd: “Heaven's Gifts” by Mya Smith
3rd: “A Cold Fall Day” by Abby Wise
13-15
1st: “When the Wolves Come Over the Hills” by Makenna Smoliak
2nd: “Orion” by Natasha Perez
3rd: “The Weeping Willow” by Aurora DeVore
16-18
1st: “Mosquito Bite Psalms” by Sarah Redmond
2nd: “Witness of Rust” by Checotah Fulks
3rd: “Prism” by Hana Saad
SHORT STORY
10-12
1st: “Blue-Haired Baby” by August Dickman
2nd: “Thirty-six” by James Walsh
3rd: “Dr. Benjamin Benson, M.D.” by Lydia Spicer
13-15
1st: “Shades of Summer” by Renee Fernandes
2nd: “A Portrait of an Anthropologist” by Israel Meyers
3rd: “The Box” by Victoria Harris
16-18
1st: “Once Upon a Red Moon” by Emily King
2nd: “The Little Ocean” by Charlotte Suttee
3rd: “Miss Clara Adams' Emeralds” by Emily Tucker
INFORMAL ESSAY
10-12
1st: “A Special Story” by Tanvi Kiran
2nd: “I Believe in Human Rights” by Harley Smith
3rd: “My Experience at J.A. Biztown” by Brynlee Smith
13-15
1st: “Bad Can Turn Out Good” by David Farell
2nd: “Metamorphosis” by Aubrey McNiel
3rd: “Storytelling on Sunday” by Sarah Rahmatullah
16-18
1st: “The Bubble” by Madison Rice
2nd: “A Thought, Finally” by Charlotte Suttee
3rd: “The Beautiful Ocean” by Joseph Williams
SHORT PLAY
10-12
1st: “A Revolutionary Fraternity” by Esther Zhu
2nd: “Missing Money” by Amanda Hogle
3rd: “The Mouse” by Harini Senthil
13-15
1st: “Parental Control” by Joshua Acree
2nd: “Parental Pressure” by Trace Burchart
3rd: “I Am What I Am” by Elsie Burns
16-18
1st: “The Cure” by Avery Videll
2nd: “Memories” by Brooklyn Malone
3rd: “The Way of the Universe” by Hana Saad
COMIX
10-12
1st: “Under My Bed” by August Dickman
2nd: “Pip's Adventure” by Savanna Hollingshead
3rd: “Birdie the Tortoise” by Lydia King
13-15
1st: “Withered Blossoms” by Jee Yang
2nd: “I Am” by Kianna Grant
3rd: “Pirate Academy” by Jacob Stevenson
16-18
1st: “Fly to Your Dreams” by Leticia Almanza
2nd: “Be Yourself” by Charity Farell
3rd: “Emerald” by John Eccles