Annual Writing Contest Winners
2016 Writing Contest
Adult Division
Poetry Winner: “The Fight of a Lifetime” by Pam Carter
Honorable Mention: “The Masquerade” by Stephen Lloyd
Honorable Mention: “Denial” by Rey Wooldridge
Short Story Winner: “An Unexpected Day at the Beach” by Misty Jackson
Honorable Mention: “The Scarlet Scarf” by Billy Scott Allen
True Story Winner: “Untitled” by Peggy R. Wright
High School Division
Poetry Winner: “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Lexy Brown
Honorable Mention: “A Letter to a Lost Friend” by Denise Osborne
Short Story Winner: “The Woodland King” by Brianna Gates
No True Story Winner Selected
Middle School Division
Poetry Winner: “Love” by Erica Jones
Honorable Mention: “Where I’m From” by Adam Johnson
Short Story Winner: “The Elegant Assassin” by Savannah Price
Honorable Mention: “Ohio River Gator” by Leah Strecker
True Story Winner: “Splash Mountain” by Connor Mills
Elementary School Division
No Poetry Winner Selected
Short Story Winner: “Lost in the Woods” by Alexandria Grieser
No True Story Winner Selected
2015 Writing Contest
Adult Division
Poetry Winner: “The Crushing of My Spirit” by Valerie Ellis
Honorable Mention: “Nature’s Performance” by Rey Wooldridge
Short Story Winner: “The Memorial” by John Weddle
Honorable Mention: “Witchtrot” by James Southern
True Story Winner: “Spring” by James Southern
Honorable Mention: “The Hunt” by Bob Stinson
High School Division
Poetry Winner: “Spark” by Kelsey Woods
Honorable Mention: “Our Eyes” by Travis Ray
Short Story Winner: “Utopia” by Rachel Hasty
Honorable Mention: “The Mouse, the Cricket, and the Rat” by Emily Harrod
No True Story Winner Selected
Middle School Division
Poetry Winner: “Ode to Football” by Aeron Adams
Honorable Mention: “Friendship“ by Shelby Heath
Short Story Winner: “Shutdown” by Zachary Grieser
Honorable Mention: “Double Take” by Tyler Geary
No True Story Winner Selected
Elementary School Division
Poetry Winner: “The Boy and the Cat” by Alexandria Grieser
Honorable Mention: “Our Friend” by Autumn Nichols
Short Story Winner: “Untitled” by Kaelyn Moore
Honorable Mention: “Days on the Farm” by Anna Grace Lawson
Honorable Mention: “The Worst Day at School Ever” by Olivia Sharpe
No True Story Winner Selected
2014 Writing Contest
Adult Division
Poetry Winner: “Flawless” by Mary Beth Duncan
Honorable Mention: “Kun faya kun (Be, and It Is)” by Angela Walden
Honorable Mention: “Fragility” by Kim Upton
Short Story Winner: “Amelia’s Egg” by Amanda Tackett
Honorable Mention: “Darkest Day” by Becky Kelly
High School Division
Poetry Winner: “Heart of Darkness” by Marissa Sanders
Short Story Winner: “The Voice” by Leah Pugh
Middle School Division
No Poetry Winner Selected
Short Story Winner: “Finally Free” by Emily Johnson
Honorable Mention: “Michael & Jack’s Adventure” by Christopher Cole
Elementary School Division
No Poetry Winner Selected
Short Story Winner: “A Girl and a… Red Diamond” by Ella Mae Porter
2013 Writing Contest
Adult Division
Poetry Winner: “I May Be Young” by Rosalind Voelker
2nd Place: “Mr. Snoot-Give a Hoot” by Brenda Griffin
3rd Place: “Bald Is Beautiful” by Pamela Jeffries
Short Story Winner: “21st and Magnum” by Heather Kelly
2nd Place: “The Red Rose” by Sharon A. Clark
3rd Place: “Young Lucy Clark” by Amy Bailey
High School Division
Poetry Winner: “You’re the One” by Ashley Asay
2nd Place: “An Angel From Above” by Breanna Sherrard
3rd Place: “Twelve” by Michelle Tidwell
Short Story Winner: “Always in This Twilight” by Leah Byers
2nd Place: “You Don’t Belong Here” by Ashley King
3rd Place: “The Betrayal” by Mikayla Kesler
Middle School Division
Poetry Winner: “Life” by Sebastian Bain Brown
Short Story Winner: “Jay T and the Money Bag” by Mercedes Thomas
2nd Place: “The Kidnapping” by Elizabeth Long
3rd Place: “The War Story” by Sasha Hurt
Elementary School Division
Short Story Winner: “The Gift of a Writer” by Beth Woods
2nd Place: “My First Time Camping” by Victoria Roerk
2012 Writing Contest
Adult Division
Creative Nonfiction Winner: “Attic Ornaments” by Sharon Hoover
Honorable Mention: “Goodbye Chloe” by Cathy Davis
Poetry Winner: “Chloe (Alphabet Acrostic)” by Cathy Davis
Short Story Winner: “The Case of the Missing Locket” by Sharon Haven
Honorable Mention: “The Red Handkerchief” by Bob Stinson
High School Division
Creative Nonfiction Winner: “Hope for My Best Friends” by Heather Michels
Middle School Division
Poetry Winner: “My Pain, Your Power” by Kaycee Anderson
Short Story Winner: “Lofty Dreams” by Kelsey Crosby
Elementary School Division
Creative Nonfiction Winner: “Queen Kitty Isabel and Her Great Adventure” by Correna Myers
2011 Writing Contest
Adult Division
Creative Nonfiction Winner: “The Funeral” by James A. Southern
2nd Place: “Recovering My Life” by Christina Stidom
3rd Place: “Rich Little Poor Kids” by Jean Kinsey
Poetry Winner: “Momma’s Arms” by James A. Southern
2nd Place: “Forecast” by Angela M. Walden
3rd Place: “Suicide’s Soliloquy” by Tara Coryell
Short Story Winner: “Aunt Laura’s Well-Known Secret” by Sandy Meyer Treloar
2nd Place: “Heaven on Earth” by Sharon A. Clark
3rd Place: “Jack Jumped Over the Candlestick” by Jean Kinsey
Children’s Division
Poetry Winner: “The Sweetness of the Lord” by Brianna Gates
2nd Place: “The Rain” by Rebecca Price
3rd Place: “Home” by Denise Osborne
Short Story Winner: “The Legend of Xenon” by Krista Jessie
2nd Place: “Prissy’s Adventure” by Savannah Price
3rd Place: “Field Goal” by Alex Price
2010 Writing Contest
Adult Division
Short Story Winner: “Gate C 26” by Bob Stinson
2nd Place: “Friendly Fire” by Lynn Hagan
3rd Place: “Plumb Crick Holler” by Jean Kinsey
Honorable Mention: “Native Fauna” by Steven Crane
Teen Division
Short Story Winner: “Her Last Minute” by Addy Capito
2nd Place: “With the Touch of a Hand” by Haley Burton
3rd Place: “Hiroki’s Tale” by Kierstan Thorp