38th Annual UAA/ADN Creative Writing Contest

We are pleased to celebrate the winners of the 38th UAA/Anchorage Daily News Creative Writing Contest. The contest began in 1981, the brainchild of newly arrived UAA English professor Ron Spatz. Since 2010, the Alaska Center for the Book has served as the coordinating partner, providing hundreds of volunteer hours to manage entries, judging, and contacting winners—the best part of all.

This year more than 400 entries were submitted for the 2021 contest. We are always pleased to see entries from classrooms across Alaska. Entries arrived from writers in Anchor Point, Anchorage, Barrow, Chugiak, Cordova, Delta Junction, Denali Park, Dillingham, Dutch Harbor, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright, Fort Richardson, Gustavus, Haines, Homer, Juneau, Kenai, Kodiak, McGrath, Nikiski, North Pole, Palmer, Sitka, Soldotna, Sutton, Talkeetna, Tenakee Springs, Unalakleet, Unalaska, Valdez, Wasilla, and Willow. Winners ranged in age from 6 to 83.

Full text of the first-place winning entries for this year’s contest and previous contests can be found online at LitSite Alaska.

K-2 STORY

FIRST PLACE

"Amazing Trip Through the Water Cycle" by Jackson Crockett, Rabbit Creek Elementary School, Anchorage

HONORABLE MENTION

"Dennis’ Adventures in the Deep" by Arcturus Bender, Mat-Su Central School, Talkeetna

"The Mystery of the Missing Statues" by Camille Burke, Connections Homeschool, Kenai

"TheWitch" by Melody Wardlaw-Bailey, IDEA Homeschool, Tenakee Springs

FICTION 3-5

FIRST PLACE

"Aliens in the Dark" by Coltyn Kilchrist, Pearl Creek Elementary, Fairbanks

FICTION 6-8

FIRST PLACE

"The Emerald Dress" by Maggie Herschleb, Cordova Junior/Senior High School, Cordova

HONORABLE MENTION

"Shadows and Ice" by Morgan Saiget, Cordova Junior/Senior High School, Cordova

FICTION 9-12

FIRST PLACE

"Opulent Estates" by Faith Felton, South Anchorage High School, Anchorage

HONORABLE MENTION

"Countdown" by Adeline Hiemstra, West Valley High School, Fairbanks

A First Thanksgiving" by Maggie Nevala, A.J. Dimond High School, Anchorage

FICTION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

FIRST PLACE

"Castles and Caskets" by Melanya Berg, Anchorage

HONORABLE MENTION

"Minus 105 degrees" by Michael Hughes, Anchorage

Casting On" by Kimberly Searcy, Anchorage

NONFICTION 3-5

FIRST PLACE

"The Three Wild/Domesticated Musketeers" by Sawyer Johnson, Connections Homeschool, Homer

NONFICTION 6-8

FIRST PLACE

"A Cow, One Foolish Girl, and an Evil Metal Feeder" by Caitlyn Greenleaf, Whitestone Farms Training Center, Delta Junction

HONORABLE MENTION

"Going to the Hospital" by Zoee Greenleaf, Whitestone Farms Training Center, Delta Junction

"The Tenakee Orca" by Sophia Strong, IDEA Alaska, Tenakee Springs

NONFICTION 9-12

FIRST PLACE

"I Saw the Aftermath" by Lydia Andriesen, Haines High School, Haines

HONORABLE MENTION

"Screenshot" by Maia Brown, A.J. Dimond High School, Anchorage

NONFICTION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

FIRST PLACE

"Agate" by Laury Scandling, Juneau

HONORABLE MENTION

"River’s End" by Teri Carns, Anchorage

"Glennallen" by Michael Hughes, Anchorage

"A Letter from Remmington" by Joseph Jackson, Anchorage

POETRY K-2

FIRST PLACE

"Rain You Finish Me" by Teagan Box, Susitna Elementary School, Anchorage

HONORABLE MENTION

"Lunchtime" by Josie Campbell, Anchor Lutheran School, Anchorage

"Valentines" by Alpha Mae Kelley, Anchor Lutheran School, Anchorage

"Books" by Sadie Maenius, Anchor Lutheran School, Anchorage

"Over the Moon" by Emily Perry, Anchor Lutheran School, Anchorage

POETRY 3-5

FIRST PLACE

"Ode to the Dragonfish" by Wesley Keller, Whitestone Farms Training Center, Delta Junction

HONORABLE MENTION

"Water Flying!" by Valerie Greenleaf, Whitestone Farms Training Center, Delta Junction

"Moose" by Sawyer Johnson, Connections Homeschool, Homer

"Berry" by Wylder Johnson, Connections Homeschool, Homer

POETRY 6-8

FIRST PLACE

"The Cage of Dogs" by Caitlyn Greenleaf, Whitestone Farms Training Center, Delta Junction

HONORABLE MENTION

"The American Illusion" by Joshua Pak, Polaris K-12 School, Anchorage

"Black and White" by Mia Selvaggio, Whitestone Farms Training Center, Delta Junction

"My Many Colors" by Lacie Sorhus, Kenai Middle School, Soldotna

POETRY 9-12

FIRST PLACE

"I Am From" by Lauren Nanouk Jones, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka

HONORABLE MENTION

"Love Stories" by Tyler Kris Adres, Sitka High School, Sitka

"The Words" by Emily Blackmon, Sitka High School, Sitka

"Force of Wind" by Katielyn Vaughn, IDEA Homeschool, Palmer

POETRY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

FIRST PLACE

"Walrus" by Wayne Lewis, Anchorage

HONORABLE MENTION

"I Bequeath the Water" by Melanya Berg, Anchorage

"Laura" by William Schmidtkunz, Sutton

"Percentages" by Allison Wayt, Anchorage