Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Nation Ford High School - The Talon Entry Title: Elm Lane Entry Credit: Emily Cacciatore Judge Comment: The writer possesses a clear voice. The depictions of the writer’s mother’s memories make the piece unique, but intergenerational, and therefore more universal. The writer transitions well between the narrative arc in the present and the memories/stories of the past.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Clarke Central High School - iliad Entry Title: Mortality Entry Credit: Maya Clement Judge Comment: The piece does a good job of exploring the writer’s personal connection to the topic, which helps immerse the reader and make the topic feel universal. I enjoyed the extended metaphor of the writer as a puzzlemaster. One place for improvement would be to include specific examples of the moral and ethical decisions the writer has grappled with.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Clarke Central High School - iliad Entry Title: Growth Entry Credit: Amaya Hopkins Judge Comment: The piece could be more polished, but the honesty of the writing in lines like “I found myself looking to hurt others in the same way I had been hurt,” makes this piece stand out.
