Write on the River and NCW Libraries are happy to announce and to congratulate the winners of the 14th annual Teen Short Fiction Competition.
Librarians from across the region and members of NCW Libraries’ Teen Library Council judged the competitive entries and chose three students to share the $200 cash award for their original fiction writing.
Primer lugar
“Sunlight” by Grace Hodges, Sophomore at Cashmere High School (The first-place winner of this competition in 2024)
“I’ve loved storytelling since before I could read. Though my passion has always been tied to fantasy, as I get older, I’ve started to gravitate more towards realistic fiction. Writing has become an outlet for me, a way to take my own feelings and observations and put them into words. My parents have always been my greatest supporters. Some of my favorite authors include Donna Tartt, Maggie Stiefvater, and Fredrik Backman, all for their beautifully intricate understanding of the human experience. I also enjoy filmmaking, soccer, and coding. I plan on sticking with writing for as long as I can.”
Menciones honoríficas
“Free Clothes” by Eva Phillippi, Senior at Wenatchee High School (The first-place winner of this competition in 2022)
“I wrote short stories starting in kindergarten, and I’ve written and edited an unpublished fantasy duology. I was the president of Wenatchee high school creative writing club for two years before I merged the club with English Honor Society. I love spending time outdoors, which is where I get a lot of literary inspiration. And as president of WHS Earth Club, I value protecting the planet and combatting climate change. Through writing, I would like to spend my life educating people about the greater impact of human decisions, which is my intention with this short story.”
“A Bag of Oranges” by Rowan Kelley, freshman at Liberty Bell High School in Winthrop (A silver medalist in the 2024 Teen Scholastic Art and Writing Contest)
“I’ve been writing since I was little, and as my skills refined, I took classes and did all the writing clubs offered by my school. Both my mom and my grandma have a passion for writing, so there’s no questioning where that came from. Through writing and reading, I am able to experience things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to, one of my favorite things about the craft. When I write, I can process my emotions and express them to others. Outside of writing, I am a dedicated actor and performer, and sometimes I even dabble in writing screenplays.”
The judges would also like to recognize the following stories:
“Counting” by Abigail Neilson, Freshman at Wenatchee High School| Read “Counting”
“The World” by Jack Kessler, Senior at Cascade High School in Leavenworth| Read “The World”
“The Loss of Anna” by Camryn Ashworth, Junior at Okanogan High School| Read “The Loss of Anna”
This year’s entries came from a wide range of communities within the NCW Libraries’ five-county service area: Bridgeport, Chelan, Chelan Falls, Dryden, Leavenworth, Manson, Moses Lake, Okanogan, Omak, Oroville, Pateros, Quincy, Royal City, Wenatchee and Winthrop. Eligible students were from grades 9-12, including those privately or home-schooled and in Running Start.
La autora más vendida del New York Times, Chelsea Cain, después de visitar Wenatchee como oradora principal de la Conferencia Write on the River de 2011, inició y continúa patrocinando la competencia anual.
Español de México 