Writing Contests

WCCW Writing Contests 2023

The winners have been announced!

Below is a list of all contest winners and honorable mentions. First place winners who were present are pictured. All winners who weren’t present at the Conference will be mailed a check and certificate this week.

Congratulations to all! And thanks again to everyone who participated in the WCCW Contests this year.

View pictures of all winners who attended the conference:
Contest Winners & Read Around

Additional conference pictures here:
WCCW Conference 2023

NEW CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!

HERE’S A SPECIAL CONTEST FOR THOSE WHO
ATTENDED OUR CONFERENCE THIS YEAR.

 

CONTEST DESCRIPTIONS

1. A GOOD WORD
Choose a quote that speaks to you, and write a 600-word blog post about it. Sponsor: White County Creative Writers. Judge: Linda Apple

1st Place: Dee Dee Chumley
2nd Place: Don Money
3rd Place: Ruth Weeks

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Peggy Sanders
2-HM: Mike Bass
3-HM: Kim Vernon
4-HM: Shirley Howard

2. I REMEMBER WHEN
Short non-fiction story of a memory involving your grandparent(s). Sponsor: BCC Freight Haulers

1st Place: Crystal Jones
2nd Place: Kim Vernon
3rd Place: Tammie Howell

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Ruth Weeks
2-HM: Gary Rodgers
3-HM: Don Money

Don Money3. DEATH & DISMEMBERMENT AT THE DMV
It’s the zombie-apocalypse and you’re in line to get your tags renewed. 3000-word max. Sponsor: Rhonda Roberts

1st Place: Don Money
2nd Place: Gary Rodgers
3rd Place: Jane Simerman

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Peggy Sanders
2-HM: Mike Bass
3-HM: Gary Breezeel

Gary Breezeel4. WHAT’S IN A SONG?
Creative Fiction. Write a story inspired by the lyrics of a favorite song. 1,500–2,000 words. Be creative, don’t just write down the lyrics. Put song title on 1st page. Sponsor: Little Red Writing Hood

1st Place: Gary Breezeel
2nd Place: C. Allan Butkus
3rd Place: Jane Simerman

Honorable Mention: Julia Zellner

5. DEL GARRETT’S GIMME THE CREEPS
Write a ghost story, 1,000–1,500 words, on “Things that go bump in the night,” and show the main character’s reaction. No slasher stories. Keep it G/PG rated. Indicate on 1st page if you want to be published. Sponsor: Del Garrett

1st Place: Terry Alexander
2nd Place: Joy Keeney
3rd Place: Gary Breezeel

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Alyssa Darby
2-HM: Elizabeth Schierschmidt
3-HM: Carole Crow

Rhonda Roberts6. SOLANDER PRESS CHILDREN’S BOOK
Children’s book, no more than 700 words, appropriate to be read to children ages 5-7 in a school setting. Sponsor: Solander Press/Clarissa Willis

1st Place: Rhonda Roberts
2nd Place: Barbara Shepherd
3rd Place: Nick Sweet

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Shirley Howard
2-HM: Peggy Sanders
3-HM Joy Keeney

Gary Breezeel7. COZY, SEASONED ROMANCE
Short story, 1500-2000 words. Cozy = no sex, gore or foul language. Seasoned = older characters. Sponsor: Renee La Viness

1st Place: Gary Brezeel
2nd Place: Martha Rodriguez
3rd Place: Barbara Shepherd

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Julia Zellner
2-HM: Mary Cambron-Collard
3-HM: Jane Simerman

8. SHOW ME A GREAT MYSTERY
Submit your best mystery. May include dead bodies, but not required. Keep me guessing until the end. 2000 min-3000 max words. Sponsor: Ellen Withers

1st Place: Peggy Sanders
2nd Place: Del Garrett
3rd Place: Gary Rodgers

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Jane Simerman
2-HM: Kim Vernon,
3-HM: Gary Breezeel

Kim Vernon9. CRACKPOT CRITTERS CONTEST
Humorous Essay. You’re the psychiatrist—write an assessment for the jury about your pet’s mental problems—how they led to the “crime”, diagnosis, symptoms, relationships, IQ, behavioral and cognitive issues, pet’s attitude, etc. 1500 words max. Sponsor: Peggy Sanders

1st Place: Kim Vernon
2nd Place: Mike Bass
3rd Place: Lizbeth McCarty

JC Crumpton10. MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
Subject: Make the ordinary extraordinary. Science fiction/fantasy. 2000-2500 range. Sponsor: Lindsey Pawn and Storage/Lindsey Plumbing Inc.

1st Place: JC Crumpton
2nd Place: Rhonda Roberts
3rd Place: Barbara Shepherd

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Gary Rodgers
2-HM: Julia Zellner
3-HM John McPherson

Gary Breezeel11. A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
1500-word max. Short story. Must contain a six-syllable word. Sponsor: Rhonda Roberts

1st Place: Gary Breezeel
2nd Place: Sam Sullivan
3rd Place:  Don Money

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Carole Crow
2-HM: Gary Rodgers
3-HM: Kim Vernon

Kim Vernon12. I LOVE THE 70s
Write an essay or reflection on anything that you loved about the 70s: the music, the movies, the fashion, the food. Tell us about a favorite memory, or anything about why you think this decade was the best decade of all. Up to 1200 words. Sponsor: Steve May

1st Place: Kim Vernon
2nd Place: Leah Brewer
3rd Place: Lisbeth McCarty

Gary Breezeel13. MEET CUTE
A short story or vignette, 1000 words max. Boy and girl meet in a “cute” or different way. Beginning of a romance. Sponsor: Dot Hatfield

1st Place: Gary Breezeel
2nd Place: Shirley Howard
3rd Place: Kim Vernon

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Alyssa Darby
2-HM: Julia Zellner
3-HM: Lydia Cheatham

14. GLASSWORKS AWARD
Essay, 1200 word max. Subject: Retirement. What will you do when you retire, or what are you doing, if already retired? Sponsor: Glassworks Ink

1st Place: Lisbeth McCarty
2nd Place: John McPherson
3rd Place: Barbara Shepherd

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Dr. Rebecca Foster
2-HM: Gary Rodgers
3-HM: Mary Cambron-Collard

Irene Hunt15. A LITTLE FREE-VERSE
Free verse poem, any subject. Must be 24 lines, syllables varied, no rhyme scheme. Special instructions: must use the word “emancipated” in the poem. No sex or violence. Sponsor: Penpoint Writers’ Group

1st Place: Irene Buss Hunt
2nd Place: Kim Vernon
3rd Place: Donna Nelson

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Pat Laster
2-HM: Mike Bass
3-HM: Fay Smalling Guinn

Jodi Whitehurst16. THE FIB
A Fibonacci poem, any subject. An eight-line poem where the syllable count follows the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence in mathematics, where the number of syllables of each line equals the sum of the number of syllables in the previous two lines, beginning at 1. (Syllable count: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21) Sponsor: Donna Nelson

1st Place: Jodi Whitehurst
2nd Place: Irene Buss Hunt
3rd Place: Kim Vernon

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Jane Simerman
2-HM: Alyssa Darby
3-HM: Don Money

John McPherson17. IT BEARS REPEATING AWARD
A Pantoum poem, 4 to 6 stanzas. Follow form guidelines found here. (See Shadow Poetry – Poetry types – Pantoum.) Sponsor: Gayle Glass

1st Place – John McPherson
2nd Place – Sam Sullivan
3rd Place – Alyssa Darby

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Irene Buss Hunt
2-HM: Donna Nelson
3-HM: Dr. Emory D. Jones

18. WHODUNNIT? AWARD
Murder mystery, 2500-word max. A 21st Century victim is killed with a medieval weapon (E.g., crossbow, poleaxe, mace, etc.) Show how a sleuth solves the crime. No erotica or profanity. Sponsor: Gary Breezeel

1st Place: Jane Simerman
2nd Place: C. Allan Butkus
3rd Place: Gary Rodgers

Honorable Mention: Lisbeth McCarty

JC Crumpton19. GRANNY PREWITT AWARD
Short fiction or non-fiction story, 500 – 1000 words. Subject: A parent and child conversation about the death of an elderly family member. Only 100 words may be used for narrative or exposition, with exception of dialogue tags. Sponsor: Micaela Campbell and Anthony Wood

1st Place: JC Crumpton
2nd Place: Shelley Anne Richter
3rd Place: John McPherson

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Crystal Jones
2-HM: Gary Rodgers
3-HM: Ruth Weeks

20. TWO MAGES ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Fantasy short story, 2500 words max. Subject: A pair of wizards who are best friends seek to tame the local dragon. Brief critique given if requested on first page of story. Sponsor: Carol Hodges

1st Place: Peggy Sanders
2nd Place: Gil Miller
3rd Place: Gary Rodgers

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Gary Breezeel
2-HM: Shelley Anne Richter
3-HM: Lisbeth McCarty

21. WAS I ABDUCTED?
1500-word max. short fiction. Must include an unexplained missing period of time. Anonymous judge and sponsor.

1st Place: Jane Simerman
2nd Place: Mary Cambron-Collard
3rd Place: JC Crumpton

Honorable Mention: Gary Breezeel

22. GIN CREEK POET’S AWARD
28-line poem, any style. Subject: Humorous Event from Childhood. Special Instructions: Spaces between lines will not be counted in the line limit, but the poem should fit on one page. Sponsor: Gin Creek Poets

1st Place: Mike Bass
2nd Place: Shirley Anne Richter
3rd Place: Nick Sweet

Honorable Mention: Crystal Jones

Rhonda Roberts23. AUTHORS ANONYMOUS 2.0 AWARD
Short story fiction, mixed genre, (combining two or more genres in one piece) 2000-word max.
Sponsor: Authors Anonymous 2.0

1st Place: Rhonda Roberts
2nd Place: Gary Rodgers
3rd Place:  Don Money

Honorable Mention: Kim Vernon

Kim Vernon24. WESTERN JUSTICE
2500-word max, new or old western. Must involve justice being served, whether by the law or otherwise.
Sponsor: Razorback Auto Sales

1st Place: Kim Vernon
2nd Place: Gary Rodgers
3rd Place: Lisbeth McCarty

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Gary Breezeel
2-HM: Gil Miller
3-HM: Regina McLemore

25. SCRIVENINGS PRESS CLEAN FICTION AWARD
Short Story, any genre. 3000 words max. No foul language or graphic sex or violence. Sponsor: Scrivenings Press LLC

1st Place: Dee Dee Chumley
2nd Place: Anthony Wood
3rd Place: Barbara Shepherd

Honorable Mention: Barbara Barbre

Martha Rodriguez26. MAKE ME GIGGLE AWARD
Write a 1500 word humorous short story of a middle grade kid in the cafeteria. Must have a clear beginning, middle and end. Sponsor: Debbie Archer

1st Place: Martha Rodriguez
2nd Place: Peggy Sanders
3rd Place: Sam Sullivan

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Lisbeth McCarty
2-HM: Shanna Heath
3-HM: Crystal Jones


Sharon Bailey
27. LESSONS FROM TRAVEL
Write a personal essay or memoir about a travel experience. Max 2500 words. Sponsor: Harding English Department. Judge: Terry Engel

1st Place: Sharon Bailey
2nd Place: JC Crumpton
3rd Place: Kim Vernon

Honorable Mention
1-HM: Mary Cambron-Collard
2-HM: Jane Gatewood
3-HM: Anita Smith