The purpose of this annual writing contest, named in honor of Willamette Writers' founder, Kay Snow, is to help writers reach professional goals in writing through a broad array of categories, and also to encourage student writers. In addition to prizes, winners will be listed on the Willamette Writers website and honored at our Willamette Writers Conference held annually in August.
Congratulations to our 2019 Kay Snow Writing Contest Winners!
Fiction Category
Judged by C. Lill Ahrens
First place: “Dreaming in Subtitles” by Winter Krane
Second place: “Bridge” by Jean Rover
Third place: “A Loss for Words” by Erin Zelinka
Non-fiction Category
Judged by Elizabeth Lyon
First place: “Where I Was Afraid, Where I Was Out West” by Rowan Brown
Second place: “Grounded Angels” by Blythe Ayne
Third place: “At the Mortuary” by Lisa Rizzo
Poetry Category
Judged by Paulann Petersen
First place: “Under the Bartlett Pear” by Jennifer Dorner
Second place: “Fair Art” by Jade Rosina McCutcheon
Third place: “Bones for Telling: Ode to My Mother” by Signe Land
Screenplay Category
Judged by Scott Myers
First place: “The Needs of the Many” By Daniel Marsden
Second place: “Someone to Watch Over” by William Schreiber
Third place: “Lost Son” by Damon Sims
Young Adult Category
Judged by LeeAnn McLennan
First place: “How Lucky We Are” by Daniel Waters
Second place: “Granby Mettle” by Kerry Duff
Third place: “Children of Origin” by Nikole Harris
1st-5th Grade Category
Judged by Mikko Azul and Benjamin Gorman
First place: “Terrors in the Night” by Hannah Fulton
Second place: “The Fallen Kings” by Joshua Steven
Third place: “Alphabet” by James Tyler
6th-8th Grade Category
Judged by Mikko Azul and Benjamin Gorman
First place: “Old Town Alexandria, VA” by Allison Xu
Second place: “My Lifeboard” by Zella Selvoy-Devan
Third place: “Mayflower Poetry Journal” by Oona Josephine Koslu
9-12th Grade Category
Judged by Mikko Azul and Benjamin Gorman
First place: “Scissors” by Vivian DeRosa
Second place: “My Soul” by Sofia Britten
Third place: “Transcript of Eve Praying to Lilith” by Aliyah Blattner
Undergraduate Category
Judged by Debby Dodds
First place: “The Beeper” by Nolan Capps
Second place: “Always, Always” by Addison Rizer
Graduate Category
Judged by Suzy Vitello
First place: “Common Mistakes in Gardening & I-85” by Violet Knight
Second place: “Eclipses of Juniper (Memoir Excerpt)” by Chrys Buckley
Categories
Marilyn Owen, YA Award Winner 2014, and Jenny Schrader, President
The Paulann Petersen Award for Poetry
The Roland Smith Award for YA and Middle Grade Fiction
When I was discouraged about my first novel I submitted a chapter to the Willamette Writers Kay Snow Contest and won a prize. That award gave me just the boost I needed to start a new novel... It gave me credibility, enough credibility to convince quite a few agents to take a look at my next novel. ...I believe submitting one’s best work to contests is well worth the effort." - Member Maryka Biaggio, author of Parlor Games (Doubleday, 2013)
Awards
- Winning entries in each of the six categories of fiction, nonfiction, YA/MG, poetry, screenplay, college student, and graduate student are awarded:
- First prize: $100 and one day admission to the Willamette Writers Conference
- Second prize: $25 and one day admission to the Willamette Writers Conference
- Third prize: $50
- Winning entries in each of the three grade divisions of the student category are awarded:
- First prize: $50
- Second prize: $20
- Third prize: $10
- Winners of the Kay Snow contest will be honored at the annual Willamette Writers Conference.
Entries:
- $10 for Willamette Writers members
- $15 for general public
- Entries in the college student category are $10 each
- Entries in the student category in the three grade divisions are free
The purpose of this annual writing contest, named in honor of Willamette Writers' founder, Kay Snow, is to help writers reach professional goals in writing through a broad array of categories, and also to encourage student writers. In addition to prizes, winners are listed on the Willamette Writers website and honored at our Willamette Writers Conference held annually in August.
For further information, please contact us.
Congratulations to our 2018 Kay Snow Writing Contest Winners!
The Paulann Petersen Award for Poetry
Judge: Paulann Petersen
First Place: Stepping Over Arizona by Ellaraine Lockie
Second Place: The New Doctor by George Perreault
Third Place: and all rain is holy water, she says by Gwendolyn Morgan
Honorable Mention: The Triumph of Deterioration over Maintenance by Roy Bentley
Honorable Mention: The Tandava by Amy Baskin
Honorable Mention: Us, in The Old Farmer's Almanac, January 21 by Brooke Schifano
The Roland Smith Award for YA and Middle Grade Fiction
Judges: Benjamin Gorman and Mikko Azul
First Place: Irronweed by Maggie Adams
Second Place: I am the Stone by Sandra Siegienski
Third Place: Mirror's Edge by Tara Lehmann
The Elizabeth Lyon Award for Nonfiction
Judge: Elizabeth Lyon
First Place: The Angel of Kindergarten by John Hively
Second Place: The Void Left from Protecting the Environment by Tara L. Campbell
Third Place: Do not Count on Rome by Mary-Kate Mackey
Award for Fiction
Judge: C. Lill Ahrens
First Place: Come Snowfall by Cindy Hiday
Second Place: Big Money by Steve Theme
Third Place: Dragon's Haunt by Elisabeth Flaum
Honorable Mention: Justice Comes to Visit by Michael Gorman
Award for Screenplay
Judge: Victoria Rau
First Place: Arizona Moon by Patricia Santos Marcantonio
Second Place: Mystery Hill by Lynn McPherson
Third Place: Caesar's Ring by Simon King
Honorable Mention: Maria Isabella Silvalessa by Hunter Ridgway
Award for Entries by College Student
Judge Debby Dodds
First place: Gimme the Familiars (Buzzard of the Highway) by Jessica Mehta
Second place: Just Breathe by Anika Morgan
Third place: Plum Hill by Jarrett Kaufman
Awards for Student in Grades 1-5
Judge Bart King
First place: The Discovery of Pawcasso by Angelina Tao
Second place: Fractured Fairy Tales by Avah Dodson
Third place: The World Thru Faith's Eyes by Kara Pierson
Awards for Student in Grades 6-8
Judge Heather Ransom
First place: One, Twice, Countless times by Macy Li
Second place: Black Car by Fiona Moore
Third place: Firebird by Madeleine Freedberg
Awards for Student in Grades 9-12
Judge C.B. Bernard
First place: Akiho's Smile by Angeles Parada
Second place: Candles of my Childhood by Haley Johnston
Third place: Jaded Act by Elisa Silverstein
Honorable Mention: The Discontinued Union by Zoey Ruzic
Our 2017 Kay Snow Writing Contest Winners!
The Paulann Petersen Award for Poetry
Judge: Paulann Petersen
First Place: “Starlings” by Danelle Lejeune of Hinesville, Georgia
Second Place: “End Times: One Life” by Anne Richardson of Lake Oswego, Oregon
Third Place: “Seven Mourning Doves” by Gwendolyn Morgan of Vancouver, Washington
Honorable Mention: “Planting Mangroves” by Joyce Schmid of Palo Alto, California
Honorable Mention: “Spring, keeping her head down” by Laura Duerr of Vancouver, Washington
Honorable Mention: “Australian Bush Solstice” by Jade Rosina McCutcheon of Salem
Honorable Mention: “Counting Seven Crows”, Danelle Lejeune of Hinesville, Georgia
The Roland Smith Award for YA and Middle Grade Fiction
Judges: Ben Gorman of “Not A Pipe” publishing and Matthew Swihart
First Place: Natasha’s War (working title) by Jan Sherbin of Cincinnati, OH
Second Place: Dinosaur Guys by Meagan Macvie of Olympia, WA
Third Place: The Last of the Name by Rosanne Parry of Portland, OR
Honorable Mention: The Assassin by Kristin Burchell
The Elizabeth Lyon Award for Nonfiction
Judge: Elizabeth Lyon
First Place: Under the Shadow by Liz Asch of Portland, OR
Second Place: Choice is a Heavy Thing by Mary Underwood of Louisville, KY
Third Place: In Between by Anne Gudger of Portland OR
Award for Fiction
Judge: C. Lill Ahrens
First Place: The Retelling of Willa Cooper by Meagan Johanson of Corvallis, OR
Second Place: The Bears of Winter by C. A. Willis of Burien, WA
Third Place: All The Western Stars by Joel Freiburger of Glen Ellyn, IL
Award for Screenplay
Judge: Waka Brown
First Place: Camp Happily Ever After by Amy Fredericks of Vancouver, Washington
Second Place: The Altered by James Grimes of Forest Grove, Oregon
Third Place: Gabriel’s Daughter by Lizanne Southgate of Corvallis, Oregon
Honorable Mention: Walk On by Jennifer Wegerer
Award for Entries by College Student
Judge Debby Dodds
Drought Summer (excerpt) by Tom Hallberg
The Women in Your Life by Isabelle Pieper
The Calling: Chapter II by Eve Benjamin McAnally
Awards for Student in Three Grade Divisions
Judge Heidi Schulz
Grades 1-5
Anger by Kaia Wootton
The Great Adventure by Maya Anderson
I Am Offering This Picture by Jason Chu
Grades 6-8
When I Was Eight Years Old by Maddy Barker
Deeper by Kanchan Naik
Black Brothers by Alexis Simmons
Grades 9-12
Ghosts by Jena Vallina
The Camp by Katarina Fernandez
Phoenixes by Sarah Feng
Congratulations to our 2016 Kay Snow Writing Contest Winners!
Fiction, C. Lill Ahrens, Judge:
First Prize: Herring
Lois Rosen
Salem, OR 97306-9526
Second Prize: Beaching the Hanza
William Parker
Gresham. OR 97080
Third Prize: Forever Free, Chapt 14, The Emancipation Proclamation
Paula Butterfield
Portland, OR 97219
Nonfiction, Elizabeth Lyon, judge:
First Prize: Saddest Tale
Lyzette Wanzer
San Francisco, CA 94164
Second Prize: The Race
Peter Gibb
Ashland, OR 97520
Third Prize: In the Limbs
Elizabeth Kind
Eugene, OR 97405
Adult Authors of MG & YA, Roland Smith, judge:
First Prize: Willa Wild
Alisha Braatz
Second Prize: The Third Power
Katherine Hahn
Third Prize: Fakespeare
Cidney Swanson
Feature Length Film, Joan & Blythe, judges:
First Prize: The Glass Hive
Steve Allrich
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
Second Prize: Bo Peep
Waka T. Brown
West Linn, OR 97068
Two screenplays tied for third place - both were awarded.
Third Prize: Red Devils
John Worsley
Mosier, OR 97040
Third Prize:IRL (In Real Life)
M.B. Curtis
Poetry, Paulann Peterson, judge:
First Prize: NYC: The Pilgrimage
Cathy Cain
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Second Prize: Resurrection
Peter Ludwin
Third Prize: about face
Amy Baskin
Portland, OR 97212
Student Categories, Heidi Schulz, judge:
Grades 9-12:
First Prize: Flying Kites and Shooting Stars
Meredith Megee
Edgewater Park, NJ 08010
Second Prize: Nervosa
Aisha Jitan
Holmdel New Jersey
Third Prize: Lizzy's Symphony
Autumn Williams
Rexburg, ID 83440
Grades 6-8:
First Prize: Cosmology
Juliana Castillo
Wilmington, Delaware 19805
Third Prize: The Places I Go
Emma Wenck
Troutdale, OR 97060
Third Prize: A Trip to Hong Kong
Mekella Wong
Grades 1-5:
First Prize: Living Ghosts
Madeline Stabinski
Swarthmore, PA 19081
Second Prize: Ira's Creatures
Elizabeth Keller
Vancouver, WA 98684
Third Prize: Aru Academy
Madeleine Freedberg
Washington, DC 20016
Congratulations to our 2015 Kay Snow Writing Contest Winners!
Fiction
Judge: Laura Whitcomb
1st Place "Marcie's Baby, a Near-Future Fable" by Bruce Campbell
2nd Place "Fever Heights" by Michael Munro
3rd Place "Swamp Exodus" by Maggie MacLachlan
Nonfiction
Judge: Elizabeth Lyon
1st Place "Jade Bracelet" by Vi Ho
2nd Place "On Finding Purpose" by Clara Chandler
3rd Place "Stopping Was the Problem" by Fufkin Vollmayer
Paulann Petersen Award for Poetry
Judge: Paulann Petersen
1st Place "Rush Hour" by Ellen Black
2nd Place "Across the Stretch of Land" by Johanna Pemble
3rd Place "Before It Melts" by Linda Golaszewski
Roland Smith Award for YA and Middle Grade Fiction
Judge: Roland Smith
1st Place "Enter Emma" by Terri Nicholson
2nd Place "Unwrapped" by Lisa Swallow
3rd Place "Payment to the Desert" by Debbie Yasaki
Student Awards
Judge: Teresa Klepinger
Grades 1-5
1st Place: “The Shop” by Claire Lignore
2nd Place: “My Julius Caesar" by Alex Arinkin
3rd Place: “Dogs” by Alison Fitton
Grades 6-8
1st Place “Camp Sherman Snow: A Remembrance” by Katie Palka
2nd Place “The Ruins” by Emma Lickey
Third Place: “Addiction” by Aishwarya Marathe
Grades 9-12
1st Place “McDonalds and Mysophobiacs” by Rebecca Cammenga
2nd Place “Aftermath” by Alexis Caroline Brown
3rd Place “mageírema & cucina” by Lily Hart
2014 Kay Snow Writing Contest Winners:
Fiction
1st place - "Dirt" by Gayle Towell, North Plains, Oregon
2nd place - "Engines of Sephione" by Joseph Anthony, Aloha, Oregon
3rd Place - "An Empty Heart" by Michael Gettel-Gilmartin, Portland, Oregon
Non-Fiction
1st Place - "Sweet Milk, the House in the Morning" by Ruby McConnell, Eugene, Oregon
2nd Place - "Sandor's Oregon Trail" by Sandor Lau, Eugene, Oregon
3rd Place - "Beautiful Things" by Susan Fleming, Portland, Oregon
Honorable Mention - "Mapping the Sinister" by Rebecca Jamieson, Portland, Oregon
Sue Lick, winner of the Kay Snow poetry award. Photo by Malcolm Manness.
Poetry
1st Place - "Burnt Woods Cafe" by Sue Lick, South Beach, Oregon
2nd Place - "Blast from the Past" by Nick Sweet, Shepherd, Texas
3rd Place - "On the Road After a Record Rain" by Ellaraine Lockie, Sunnyvale, California
Writing for Young Readers
1st Place - "Everyone Except Everett" by Marilyn Owen, Portland, Oregon
2nd Place - "Bella and the Umbrella" by Pearl Schwartz, Walnut Creek, California
3rd Place - "Geechen, the Ghost Warrior" by Jim Kroefpl, Denver, Colorado
Honorable Mention - "Continental Divide" by Stephanie Kroepfl, Denver, Colorado
Students, Grades 1-5
Emma Salada, winner of the Kay Snow Writing Award for Students, grades 6 - 8. Photo by Malcolm Manness.
1st Place - "The Second Shot" by Abby McFarland, Pasadena, Maryland
2nd Place - "Christy Holmes Mystery" by Madeleine Freedburg, Washington, DC
2nd Place - "How to Train Your Flying Pig" by Barron Jager, Vancouver, Washington
Students, Grades 6-8
1st Place - "You Cannot Crown an Unwilling Queen" by Isabel Lickey, Portland, Oregon
2nd Place - "The Liquidator" by Emma Salada, Portland, Oregon
3rd Place - "All Tied Up" by Katie Lyons, Orinda, California
Students, Grades 9-12
1st Place - "Dove" by Phoebe Morakinyo, Ilford, United Kingdom
2nd Place - "Saving My Sister" by Julie Spicer, Oroville, California
3rd Place - "The Rain" by Cayrn Blumberg, DeMossville, Kentucky
The winners of the 2013 Kay Snow Writing Contest are:
Fiction
1st place - "God is Pleased to Hear the Children Pray" by Ruby Murray
2nd place - "Coyote Calls Down the Gods" by Bruce Campbell
3rd Place - "The Bones of Pele" by Bonnie Dodge
Non-Fiction
1st Place - "Your Bed's Too Small" by Ann Gudger
2nd Place - "Learning Chutzpah" by Diana Harris
3rd Place - "Seeing and Not Seeing" by Chrys Buckley
Poetry
1st Place - "There Are No Seekers" by Melissa Reeser Poulin
2nd Place - "Mermaid at World's End" by Darcy Scholts
3rd Place - "Ripe Orgasmic Earth" by Kate Marsh
Honorable Mention "Our Paths" by Kristen Storer
Writing for Young Readers
1st Place - "Winter in My Heart" by Gibron Perrone
2nd Place - "Sampson Leaves Home" by Marilyn Owen
3rd Place - "Any Dreams Won't Do" by Kelly Garrett
Screenplay
1st Place - "Love Judge" by Amy Fredericks
2nd Place - "The Kids from Nowwhere" by George Guthridge and Deborah Schildt
3rd Place "Perfect Guy for Hire" by Waka Brown
Student Awards
Students, Grades 1-5
1st Place - "Getting Steve" by Joey Lieberman
2nd Place - "Down Under" by Abby Clark
3rd Place - "Cookie" by Noah Tai
Students, Grades 6-8
1st Place - "Nowhere to Go" by Sarah Hogan
2nd Place - "A Buddy" by Deenee Freeman
3rd Place - "A Squirrel Story" by Sahalie Pittman
Students, Grades 9-12
1st Place - "Flying Free" by Kalin Swift
2nd Place - "Wanted" by Nichole Parks
3rd Place - "Going Back" by Ana Maria Villaveces