Congratulations to Mara Batt, who graduated from the Stroudsburg School District, for winning the Writing contest! Our distinguished panel of judges had a tough time selecting the winner, but in the end Mara nailed it and the $1,200 award will go directly to her college of choice.
Mara’s winning story may be downloaded in pdf format at the bottom of this post by entering your email address.
Honorable Mention for the other contestants (in random order): Kendra Cameau, Lauren Smith, Quincia Irish, and Dayanara Howard.
We had promised a critique for the 3 runners up. Since there were a total of 5 submissions, we will include all 4. The judges had comments on most stories, and upon request I will share their feedback. Email me at [email protected] if you’d like to see it. Their frank commentary may be useful to assist you in honing your writing skills further. Please note, although there could only be one winner, you all did a fantastic job and should be very proud! Finishing a story is not an easy task. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me now or in the future if you’d like writing advice or guidance.
For Mara, as you continue your journey through life, I hope you continue to write and hone your craft. You do have a gift, and regardless of whatever vocation you end up mastering, trust me when I say that writing is like an old friend–always there for you, and always inspiring.
Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories.
A HUGE thank you to all the judges who graciously donated their time to this worthy cause:
- Gabriela Pereira, founder of DIYMFA.com and author of DIY MFA: WRITE WITH FOCUS, READ WITH PURPOSE, BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY (Writer’s Digest Books, 2016)
- Lee Diogeneia, http://www.diogeneia.com/, professional editor, author, and NASA Knowledge Specialist
- Jordy Albert, Literary Agent and Co-Founder of The Booker Albert Literary Agency, http://jordyalbert.blogspot.com/
- The three literary agents responsible for the prestigious Virginia Kidd Agency, Inc., one of the longest established science fiction specialized literary agencies in the world, http://www.vk-agency.com/
- Wayne Meyers, author of Visitor, a science fiction novel.
