PREVIEW of 2025 Winners and Finalists

Open AllCATEGORY WINNERS AND FINALISTS

AFRICAN AMERICAN

WINNER ($75):

• Spare a Little Change, by Kimberly E. Banks

FINALISTS:

• ENDLESS DESCENT, by Theresa Seabrook
• I didn't want to turn into a "House Negro"!!!, by Melissa Owens
• The Reunion, by Nick Haskins

ANIMALS/PETS

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• Luce, by John Paul Godges
• Soul of a Griffin, by Shilo Creed

FINALISTS:

• Another Brick in the Wall, by Lisa Lahey
• Oh Poop! My Pet Died, by Andrea Rudolph
• Who's A Good Girl, by Lufrancia

BIPOC (BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLOR)

WINNER ($75):

• Neighbours, by Sanchana Venkatesh

FINALISTS:

• A Doll of Hope, by Vanessa Caraveo
• Fritland, by Melis Aker
• The Peace Sign, by Lynda Smith Hoggan

CHILDREN'S/JUVENILE

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• The Anywhere Home, by Amy E. Whitman
• Three Cheers for Emilio!, by Elizabeth Weiss Vollstadt

FINALISTS:

• Cloud and Rain, by Julie Stielstra
• Princess Maggie & the Singing Fairies, by Sophia Alexander
• The Boy and the Brush, by Suzy Shepherd

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY STUDENTS - CAN WRITE ABOUT ANY TOPIC

WINNER ($75):

• Julie, by Eva Carignan

FINALISTS:

• In The Rearview, by Hailey Jones
• Plot, by Yimiao Wang
• The Land of Ultimate Bliss, by Yimiao Wang

FAIRY TALES/FANTASY

WINNER ($75):

• Stolen By The Sea, by Travis A. Seabrook

FINALISTS:

• Goldilocks and the Wicked Frog; or, a Modern Love Story, by Saskia Hirst
• Sorrowthief, by Renae Silc
• The Pillowcase Wings of a Fairy, by Sophia Cukras

FAMILY/PARENTING

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• A Doll of Hope, by Vanessa Caraveo
• Caller ID, by Terri Friedlander

FINALISTS:

• Always Remember to Brush, by Kelvin Ko
• Eleanor, by Tom Ball
• Scars on the Bottom of My Feet, by Michele Dambeck

GENERAL FICTION (2,500 TO 5,000 WORDS)

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• Eleanor, by Tom Ball
• HEARTLAND TERROR, by C.W. Lewandowski

FINALISTS:

• Birds of Tersmasside, by Leslie Cunningham
• Fritland, by Melis Aker
• Meet Me in Aisle 4, by Alexis Vance
• Memento Mori, by Pauline Milner
• The Harvest, by Pauline McAndrew

GENERAL FICTION (UNDER 2,500 WORDS)

WINNER ($75):

• Her hand in mine, by Amelia Booth

FINALISTS:

• A Raging Storm, by Alice Barry
• I Trust My Clients, by Melissa Owens
• Mr. Macaron, by Merrell Palmer
• The Figs and the Fireflies, by Léa Hachem
• The Mass of War, by Robert Russin
• Where It Is, There Is Life, by Kaden Sitrin

GENERAL NON-FICTION

WINNER ($75):

• Grooves and Blisters, by Robert Wright

FINALISTS:

• My Love Language is Ping Pong, by Tara Prakash
• The "Quill" is Mightier Than the Sword, by Gail E. Wind
• The Monster in my Mouth, by Iqbal Hussain

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (GRADES 9 - 12) - CAN WRITE ABOUT ANY TOPIC

WINNER ($75):

• Rain, by Clare Mullins

FINALISTS:

• Beast in the Forest, by Zizhi (Andrew) Lin
• Sweet and Rotten, by India Komasinski
• The Back of the Mountain, by Pauline McAndrew

HISTORICAL

WINNER ($75):

• The Name, by Judy Campbell

FINALISTS:

• I am a Berliner - Remembering Berlin during the Cold War, by Bibi LeBlanc
• Robb's, by Brendan Murray
• Shadows of Requiem, by Mannat Markan

HORROR/SCARY STORIES/PARANORMAL

WINNER ($75):

• Panspermian Dreams, by Cain Alexander Stepaniuk

FINALISTS:

• Be Not, by Charles D. Virgil
• The Death of Marcella Phillips, by Layla DiSalvo
• The Stranger, by Andie Casey

HUMOR

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• A Tail of Two Dogs, by Rocky Leplin
• Galaxia and the Supreme Destroyers, by Rakel Rae

FINALISTS:

• "Oh, Fred!", by Sarah Cannon
• Birdbrain of Amazon, by Rocky Leplin
• Scars on the Bottom of My Feet, by Michele Dambeck
• Something, by Katelyn Dean
• The "Quill" is Mightier Than the Sword, by Gail E. Wind
• THE LAST KONG REMAKE, by Bruce Graham

INSPIRATIONAL

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• Herding Pigs, by Amber Swan
• Home Away from Home, by Success Aifuwa

FINALISTS:

• Better World Blues, by Hank Leo
• Cliffside, by Amelia Augustine
• Yesterday I Was a Different Me, by Susan Shetler

LGBTQ+

WINNER ($75):

• Sweetwater, by Stephania Jean

FINALISTS:

• A Hallmark Christmas, by Fran Scannell
• Let the Sunshine In, by Juliet Hill
• Sandpiper Feet, by Don Carter

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS (8TH GRADE AND UNDER) - CAN WRITE ABOUT ANY TOPIC

WINNER ($75):

• The Last Conversation, by Aarav Trivedi

FINALISTS:

• Ashes, ashes, by Juliana Sier
• Five Ways to Fall Asleep, by Emeline Zhou
• The Scarecrow, by Yana Stanoeva

MYSTERY

WINNER ($75):

• The Riddle Inheritance, by Michelle Corbier

FINALISTS:

• Escape Room Entries, by Tony Tu
• The Bunyip of Death, by Judith Thomson
• The Fen, by Joseph Gosler

POETRY

WINNER ($75):

• Antares: A Life At Sea, by Gary Westphalen

FINALISTS:

• An Anthem Of Strength, by Angelina Corsi
• That Girl, by Grace Hill
• The Day That You Go, by Callie Chapman

RELATIONSHIPS

WINNER ($75):

• Cassandra, by Gerard Marconi

FINALISTS:

• Goldilocks and the Wicked Frog; or, a Modern Love Story, by Saskia Hirst
• In The Rearview, by Hailey Jones
• LET'S DANCE, by Brenda Shoshanna

ROMANCE

WINNER ($75):

• Honeybee and the Sting of Love, by Anne Freeman

FINALISTS:

• Love law, by Andrew Snook
• Mr. Macaron, by Merrell Palmer
• My first love, by Sibora Huda

SCIENCE FICTION

WINNER ($75):

• Invisible Ink, by Liza Fables

FINALISTS:

• Kalpa, by Kaushal Gokare
• Spectral Space, by Lewis Gennery
• The Little Robot, by Claire Zhong

SENIORS (60 TO 69 YEARS) - CAN WRITE ABOUT ANY TOPIC

WINNER ($75):

• Fishing for Atonement, by Don Carter

FINALISTS:

• A Glance at an Old Newspaper, by Hui Zhou
• A State of Grace, by Judy Campbell
• Cheet-O, by Robert Russin
• Ghost of Johnson's Creek, by Sandra Brown Lindstedt
• Payback, by Eileen Huging
• Readers Digest: Vanguard of the Revolution, by Adrienne Farago

SENIORS (70 YEARS AND ABOVE) - CAN WRITE ABOUT ANY TOPIC

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• HEARTLAND TERROR, by C.W. Lewandowski
• Welcome the Wrong Turns: a true travel story, by Mike Day

FINALISTS:

• A Glimpse of Christmas Joy, by Elizabeth Weiss Vollstadt
• Damn Lewy: A True Story, by Michelle Kaiser
• The Transformation of Layton Roth, by Geoffrey K. Graves

SOCIAL CHANGE/COVID 19 PANDEMIC

WINNER ($75):

• The Cure, by Helen Jennings

FINALISTS:

• The Protests Had It Right, by Richard B. Gartrell
• Water Runs Through It, by Susan Chase
• Welcome the Wrong Turns: a true travel story, by Mike Day

SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS

WINNER ($75):

• A Doll of Hope, by Vanessa Caraveo

FINALISTS:

• Angels We Have Heard On High, by Merrell Palmer
• One Last Time, by Don Stansberry
• While They Dream, by Charles D. Virgil

SURVIVAL/OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• HEARTLAND TERROR, by C.W. Lewandowski
• Smoke Screen, by Faith Anderson

FINALISTS:

• A Glimpse of Christmas Joy, by Elizabeth Weiss Vollstadt
• Fritland, by Melis Aker
• Hit The Glass, by Kristi Paxton
• Where It Is, There Is Life, by Kaden Sitrin

SUSPENSE/THRILLER

WINNER ($75):

• The Blood Stone of Shiva, by A.K. McCutcheon

FINALISTS:

• Demons Within, by Danae Vrachimi
• JuJu Justice: The Preacher's Son, by T.E. Lane
• My Friend, by Tapanga Wright

TRAVEL

WINNERS ($75): TIE

• My Brief Career As a Laundress, by Zelda Leah Gatuskin
• The Wizard of East Jesus, by Laurie McAndish King

FINALISTS:

• Crybaby in the Yucatán, by Sophia Alexander
• Me Llamo Mariana Cañedo/My Name is Marianne Canedo, by Marianne C. Bohr
• San Pedro's Stars, by Laurel Maxwell
• Welcome the Wrong Turns: a true travel story, by Mike Day

WILD CARD (IF YOUR STORY DOESN'T FIT ANY OTHER CATEGORIES)

WINNER ($75):

• Sandpiper Feet, by Don Carter

FINALISTS:

• Eighteen, by Lucia Cascioli
• Mr. McFeely, by Jeffrey Feingold
• The Time and Space Conundrum, by A.K. McCutcheon
• The Way Out, by Danielle de Valera