2022 Contest Winners

The winners of the 2022 Write On The River Writers Competitions have been chosen.

Librarians from around the region and members of the Teen Library Council judged the many competitive entries in the 11th annual Teen Short Fiction Competition. Three students were chosen to share the $200 cash award for their original fiction writing.

First Place: Eva Phillippi, a freshman at Wenatchee High School for “Koeshi”

Honorable Mention: Bridget Jones, a 10th grader at Quincy High School for “A Letter for the End of the World ”

Honorable Mention: Miranda Nayak, a junior at Wenatchee High School for “Apotheosis ”

Eligible students were from grades 9-12, including those privately or home-schooled and in Running Start, in the NCW Libraries’ service area. The submitting writers attend schools throughout 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 teen writers competition.

Winners of the Adult Writers Competition will share $1200 in cash awards. The annual contest, now in its fifteenth year, is open to any writer in eastern Washington. Entries must be previously unpublished original work, under 1000 words.

When the two teams of judges turned in their top picks from a very competitive selection, the top fiction writer was also the top nonfiction writer. That coincidence is both an unprecedented surprise for competition organizers and well-deserved compliment to the writer.

FICTION Entries

First place: Nick Hershenow (Twisp) for “Sucesos”

Second place: Denise Ottosen (Spokane) for “The Rules”

Third place: Michele Peters (East Wenatchee) for “Bombshell”

NONFICTION Entries

First place: Nick Hershenow (Twisp) for “Little Chicken”

Second place: Rebekah Jensen (Twisp) for “First Miles of the After”

Third place: Ashley Lodato (Winthrop) for “The Best Time of Our Lives”

Thank you to all of the participants this year!