We were blown away by the creativity of the short fiction submitted by teen writers from across North Central Washington this year. We want to thank all those who submitted their work for consideration.
NCW Libraries and Write on the River are happy to announce the winners of the 11th annual writing competition for high school students in NCW. $200 in cash prizes will be distributed among these three students for their excellence in original fiction writing.
First Place
Eva Phillippi, a freshmen at Wenatchee High School
Koeshi (koh – EH – shee)
Ever since she wrote a book about turtles at age six, Eva Phillippi said, she’s had an urge to tell stories. She writes whenever she can and says it’s a good way for her to express her emotions. She feels personified in many of the characters in this selection, which she started when school was canceled for COVID in March 2020. She’s now drafting the second book and hopes to publish the two-book series before high school graduation.
Read “Koeshi” by Eva Phillippi
Honorable Mention
Bridget Jones, a sophomore at Quincy High School
A Letter for the End of the World
Besides writing short stories, Bridget Jones enjoys drawing, reading, and cross country running. She said she is inspired to do all of these things, particularly writing, by the absence of ultimate meaning that she sees in our world, and the idea that every person must create their own values. She said that this story is her way of exploring an optimistic twist on existentialism, in which the character finds a way to cope without help from external entities.
Read “A Letter for the End of the World” by Bridget Jones
Honorable Mention
Miranda Nayak, a junior at Wenatchee High School
Apotheosis
Miranda Nayak is active in the WHS Equity Club and robotics club and plays cello in the school’s chamber orchestra. An aspiring author, she shares her writing, book reviews and original films online at https://mirandanayakwritin.wixsite.com/website. She explained that this selection began with her fascination with the idea of a sentient building. The vague idea led to a character, a line of dialogue, a long train of thought about revenge and god complexes, and eventually, a short story.
Read “Apotheosis” by Miranda Nayak
Eligible students were in grades 9-12, from Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Grant and Ferry counties.
New York Times best-selling author Chelsea Cain, who visited Wenatchee as a 2011 Write On The River Conference keynote speaker, initiated and continues to sponsor the annual competition.
Original source can be found here.
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