Each year after the deadline for the contest submission has passed, contest entries are first screened blindly by a panel of judges, and then ten to twelve finalist pieces in each category are sent to our final judges for blind selection of winners. No judge at any step of this process is aware of the names of the writers who have submitted individual pieces. Writers may submit entries in all categories, and for an additional fee may submit a second entry, all of which means that writers may place or win up to two awards in multiple categories. Any writer who wins first place in a category is ineligible to enter that category the following year.

2024 TMW CONTEST WINNERS

STUDENT CATEGORIES:

Student Poetry Award:

Honorable Mention: Carson Brady, Oak Ridge High School, “Dear Me”

Honorable Mention: Leila Caicey Gilbert, West Ridge High School, “The Bridge”

Honorable Mention: Miriam Manna, West Ridge High School, “Courthouse on a Thursday Afternoon”

3rd place: Jordan Bayless, West Ridge High School, “Highlands”

2nd place: Kathryn-Ray Taylor, West Ridge High School, “Tote Memories”

1st place: Parker Ezrea Guffey, West Ridge High School, “The Bridge on Ivory Street”

Student Prose Award:

Honorable Mention: Miriam Manna, West Ridge High School, “Running”

Honorable Mention: Derrick Eugene Rajnoor, West Ridge High School, “Iter Solis”

3rd place: Madeline Cutler, Jefferson County High School, “The Green Fruit”

2nd place: Calvin James Lee, West Ridge High School, “Dr. Jeramiah’s Hastily Cobbled 

Together Godforsaken Flying Machine: How My Brother Got Us Charged for Treason, Changed the Course of the Civil War, and Killed the Cat”

1st Place: Leila Caicey Gilbert, West Ridge High School, “When It Rains”

ADULT CATEGORIES: 

Patricia Boatner Fiction Award:

Honorable Mention: Daniel Leonard, Oak Ridge, TN, “A Sailor’s Heart”

Honorable Mention, Chrissie Anderson Peters, Bristol, TN, “Genevieve”

Honorable Mention, Daniel Reiss, Maryville, TN, “Finding Honey”

3rd place: Marilyn Layman Mascaro, Knoxville, TN, “Visitation”

2nd place: Sophia Metz, Maryville, TN, “Writing on My Skin”

1st place: Lisa Shirey, Norris, TN, “What I Didn’t Know”

Science Fiction/Fantasy Award:

3rd place: Vicki J. Cypcar, Sparta, TN, “The Samaritan Wore Combat Boots”

2nd place: Steven Skaggs, Prospect, KY, “Boundary Conditions”

1st place: Daniel Leonard, Oak Ridge, TN, “The Portal”

Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award:

Honorable Mention: Laurie Doctor, Prospect, KY, “Bells and Time”

3rd place: Sharon E. Waters, Beckley, WV, “Bully Tactics”

2nd place: Gay Marie Logsdon, Oak Ridge, TN, “Are You Saved? A Delayed Response”

1st place: Evelyn Rennich, Colorado Springs, CO, “The Conundrum of Consuming”

Poetry Award:

Honorable Mention: Laura Miller, Soddy Daisy, TN, “Midnight Near Meers, Oklahoma”

Honorable Mention: Ralph Monday, Harriman, TN, “Mulberries”

3rd place: Lacy Snapp, Johnson City, TN, “Villa de Borghese”

2nd place: Jake Lawson, Johnson City, TN, “Fantasie Impromptu”

1st place: Annette Sisson, Brentwood, TN, “Yield”

Children’s Literature Award:

3rd place, Chrissie Anderson Peters, Bristol, TN, “Bingo’s Banjo”

2nd place, RosiHollinbeck, Antelope, CA, “Rebekah’s Star”

1st place: Pam Campbell, Brooklyn, NY, “Pieces the Pig”

Sue Ellen Hudson winner: Daniel Leonard, Oak Ridge, TN, “The Portal”

 

2023 TMW CONTEST WINNERS

STUDENT CATEGORIES:

Student Poetry Award:

HM, Harley Bolix, Tellico Plains High School, “Author’s Instinct”

3rd place, Lake Sewell, Tellico Plains High School, “The Ghost”

2nd place, Faye Estremera, Oak Ridge High School, “I Love You, for You Are a Dandelion”

1st place, Addyson Owens, West Ridge High School, “elegy for the orange market”

Student Prose Award:

3rd place, Tealaisha Wakefield, Tellico Plains High School, “Akarnia”

2nd place, Meya Keener, Tellico Plains High School, “When the Trumpets Sound”

1st place, Potter Owen Posey, Ivy Academy, “Portrait of a Soldier Facing Art”

ADULT CATEGORIES:

Patricia Boatner Fiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Jake Lawson, “Beyond the Clearing”

Honorable Mention, Ray Zimmerman, “The Cabin on the Bluff”

3rd place, Carol Luther, “And Gladly Facilitate: a Tale”

2nd place, Dakota Collins, “Funnyman”

1st place, Sam Campbell, “Someone Planted Kudzu in New York City”

Humor Award:

3rd place, Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Nice”

2nd place, Sally Boyington, “Tortured by Dr. Seuss”

1st place, Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Too Much Trouble”

Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Susan Tidwell Brown, “Joseph Roberts, Pop”

Honorable Mention, Evelyn Rennich, “The Table We Orbit”

2nd place, Laura Caton-David, “Unpacking”

1st place, Margaret Cody, “Lonely Together”

Poetry Award:

HM: Sam Campbell, “Dream in Which the FBI Cares about My Flow”

3rd place, DeAnna Stephens, “Persimmon”

2nd place, Diane M. Williams, “Leap Girl”

1st place, DeAnna Stephens, “Animal Psalm”

Children’s Literature Award:

2nd place, Daniel Leonard, “A Thank You Note to Santa”

1st place, Becky Parker, “Sid and Farmer Joe (Creek Time!)”

Sue Ellen Hudson winner:

Sam Campbell, “Someone Planted Kudzu in New York City”

 

2022 TMW CONTEST WINNERS

ADULT CATEGORIES:

Patricia Boatner Fiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Amara Bunten, “Wasteful”

Honorable Mention, Daniel Ray, “The End Man”

Honorable Mention, Carole Stice, “Mistaken”

3rd place, Wilmoth Foreman, “Something Akin to Friendship”

2nd place, Daniel Reiss, “What’s of the Soul is Not Forgotten”

1st place, Larry D. Thacker, “Worn Out”

Science Fiction/Fantasy Award:

Honorable Mention, Vicki J. Cypcar, “An Angel Named Atticus”

Honorable Mention, Travetta Johnson, “Cosmic Jam”

3rd place, Daniel Leonard, “Catching Up”

2nd place, Daniel Leonard, “Ice Springs Phoenix”

1st place, Daniel Ray, “Skyfort”

Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Vicki J. Cypcar, “She Deserved Better”

Honorable Mention, Deborah Scaperoth, “Captured by a Cult”

3rd place, David Hammond, “The Cotton Sack”

2nd place, Natalie Kimbell, “An Attention Deficit Lollapalooza”

1st place, Gail Tyson, “Homing”

Poetry Award:

HM: Larry D. Thacker, “Reunion”

HM: Ralph Monday, “Let Them Go to the Waters”

3rd place, Larry D. Thacker, “How it All Comes to an End in the End”

2nd place, DeAnna Stephens, “Summer Repair”

1st place, KB Ballentine, “Heart, Full of Seed”

Children’s Literature Award:

3rd place, Randi Lynn Mrvos, “To Be in a Book”

2nd place, Dee Lynk, “Chapter One—Yes—Yes—YES!”

1st place, Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Red Bird Rules”

Sue Ellen Hudson winner: Daniel Ray, “Skyfort”

 

2021 TMW CONTEST WINNERS

ADULT CATEGORIES:

Patricia Boatner Fiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Gail Tyson, “Surely Mercy”

3rd place, Lisa Glisson, “Broken Places”

2nd place, Carol Luther, “Cotton Mill Girl”

1st place, Jim Overholt, “Anzio”

Humor Award:

3rd place, Daniel Leonard, “Midnight Guard Duty”

2nd place, Daniel Leonard, “Searching for a Graveyard”

1st place, Chrissie Anderson Peters, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

 Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award:

3rd place, Kate Landers, “To Save a Turtle”

2nd place, Daniel Leonard, “Sounds So Far Away”

1st place, Kelly Dorgan, “The Making of Crazy Fred”

Poetry Award:

HM: Natalie Kimbell, “Covee”

HM: Deborah Scaperoth, “Hope in the Time of Covid & Cancer”

3rd place, Deborah Scaperoth, “Bare Branches”

2nd place, Ralph Monday, “Mountain Confessional”

1st place, Linda Holmes, “The Art of Going”

Children’s Literature Award:

3rd place, Randi Lynn Mrvos, “Adrianna Esperanza”

2nd place, Daniel Leonard, “Snappy”

1st place, Daniel Leonard, “Star of the Rodeo”

 Sue Ellen Hudson winner: Jim Overholt, “Anzio”

 

2020 TMW CONTEST WINNERS

The contest committee would like to thank all our 2020 contest final judges: Wes Browne, Beverly Connor, Wendy Dinwiddie, Jane Hicks, Stellasue Lee, Terry Shaw, and Julia Watts.

STUDENT CATEGORIES:

Student Poetry Award:

HM, Molly Featherston, Powell High School, “Masked”

3rd place, Emily Guzman, Powell High School, “I Was Once an Icarus”

2nd place, Grace Parkhill, Knoxville Catholic High School, “Backstage”

1st place, Meghan Campbell, Oak Ridge High School, “Winter Perfume”

Student Prose Award:

HM, Kevin Farmer, Knoxville Catholic High School, “Here Now”

HM, Anna Summerville, Farragut High School, “The Name of Motivation”

3rd place, Eleanor Weedman, Knoxville Catholic High School, “The Witch Next Door”

2nd place, Kiersten Man, Knoxville Catholic High School, “You Ain’t Supposed to Live That Way”

1st place, Meghan Campbell, Oak Ridge High School, “Whitethorn House”

ADULT CATEGORIES:

Patricia Boatner Fiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Tony Jordan, “Let’s Make a Deal”

3rd place, Daniel Scaperoth, “My Wife’s Recurrent Breast Cancer”

2nd place, Patricia McLaughlin, “The Bastard”

1st place, Christina Fleisch, “How to Get a Husband”

Fantasy/Science Fiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Cades Cove Conversations”

3rd place, Daniel Leonard, “Thinking Small”

2nd place, Vicki J. Cypcar, “Jimmy Jack’s Voodoo Shack”

1st place, DeAnna Stephens, “Dolor”

Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award:

Honorable Mention, Jim Young, “A Buddy Indeed”

3rd place, Vicki J. Cypcar, “Wedding Daze”

2nd place, Jill Thompson, “Dearly Beloved”

1st place, Peggy Grigowski, “Christmas Tea”

Poetry Award:

Honorable Mention, Sean Purio, “A Proper Burial”

Honorable Mention, Linda Holmes, “Along the Rio Urubamba”

3rd place, Annette Sisson, “My Keen and Doleful Heart”

2nd place, Linda Holmes, “Shooting Squarely”

1st place, DeAnna Stephens, “In His Owner’s Intolerable Absence, the Dog Forsakes Longing”

Children’s Literature Award:

3rd place, Chrissie Anderson Peters, “When Wishing Still Worked: A Fairy Tale”

2nd place, Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Rainy Day with Grandma”

1st place, Patricia N. McLaughlin, “My Shadows & Me”

 Sue Ellen Hudson winner:

DeAnna Stephens, “In His Owner’s Intolerable Absence, the Dog Forsakes Longing”

 

2019 TMW CONTEST WINNERS

STUDENT CATEGORIES:

Student Poetry Award:

3rd place (tie), Emma Haines, Oak Ridge High School, “Las Vegas Grim”  

3rd place (tie), Halle Brown, Farragut High School, “Tight Grip”  

2nd place, Grace Bass, Farragut High School, “Forgotten Performance”

1st place, Seth Boullie, Oak Ridge High School, “The Pumpkin with the One Carved Eye”  

Student Prose Award:

Honorable Mention, Meghan Owens, Powell High School, “Lucius”  

3rd place: Anna Summerville, Farragut High School, “A Power Consumed by Darkness”

2nd place: Katie Orillion, Knoxville Catholic High School, “To Slay a Dragon”

1st place: Grace Bass, Farragut High School, “The Opposite of an Apocalypse”

ADULT CATEGORIES:

Patricia Boatner Fiction Award:

3rd place: Reid Sexton, “The Singin’ Bone,” Knoxville, TN

2nd place: Daniel Reiss, “What Esther Lost in Tennessee, 1933,” Louisville, TN

1st place: DeAnna Stephens, “The Prodigals,” Crossville, TN

Humor Award:

3rd place: Jennie Ivey, “Blind Date: The Poet,” Cookeville, TN

2nd place: Natalie Kimbell, “The Wedding Dress” (novel excerpt), Graysville, TN

1st place: Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Buddy,” Bristol, TN

 Joy Margrave Nonfiction Award:

3rd place: Judy Lee Green, “Memories of Ten Cent Burgers,” Murfreesboro, TN

2nd place: Daniel Scaperoth, “This is How You Hold a Shovel,” Lenoir City, TN

1st place: Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Elkmont Fireflies,” Bristol, TN

Poetry Award:

3rd place: Ann Thornfield Long, “Ode to Mary Oliver,” Norris, TN

2nd place: Phyllis Price, “Kitt Peak Observatory,” Blacksburg, VA

1st place: Phyllis Price, “Five Ways to Go,” Blacksburg, VA

Writing for Young People Award:

3rd place: Daniel Leonard, “Dahlia’s Dream,” Oak Ridge, TN

2nd place: Dee Lynk, “Chapter 7—the B.I.T. Institute,” Crossville, TN

1st place: Vicki J. Cypcar, “For Tucker’s Sake,” Sparta, TN

 Sue Ellen Hudson winner: Chrissie Anderson Peters, “Buddy”

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 2018 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE  3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition         
 Poetry Jessica Ammendolia (Oak Ridge HS)
“The Butcher”
Sean Jones (William Blount HS)
“Where the Heart Dwells”
Madaline Dople (Anderson County HS)
“My Roommate, Death”
 
 Prose Hailey Gann (Powell HS)
“The Sour Taste of Sugar”
Anna Grace Gragg (Farragut HS)
“Letters”
Olivia Carter (Sequoyah HS)
“The Thoughts Within You”
Jacob Hattaway (Oak Ridge HS)
“The Trials”
Anna Summerville (Farragut HS)
“My Own Corner of Fantasy”
Ian Barry (Anderson County HS)
“Lowly Blows the Howling Cold”
Adult Competition         
  Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Anne Powers
“The Word on the Water”
Jessica Pierce
“Remnants of Evergreens”
Delonda Anderson
“Weep the Wild Cares”
 
  Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
 Jane Flanagan
“Baking Lessons”
Judy Lee Green
“Thumbtack Moon”
Ann Thornfield-Long
“Becky’s Dream”
 
 Poetry Cathy Kodra
“Snow Blind”
Cathy Kodra
“What Mothers Know”
John Mannone
“After the Fish Market”
Gail Tyson
“Animal Instinct” and “Paperweights”
Writing for Young People John Mannone
“Little Wishing Star”
Katherine Bowman
“In Your Dreams: Fairy Wings”
Mary Bess Dunn
“The Boy Who Hummed Too Much”
 
 Inspirational Judy Lee Green
“Leading the Fire Drill”
Regina Ferrin
“A Beautiful Family of Misfits”
Daniel Leonard
“Momma and the Birthday Cake”
 
 Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Anne Powers
“The Word on the Water”
     
 2017 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE  3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition         
 Poetry Joanna Howell (Oak Ridge HS)
“Following the Same Routine”
Sarah Lively (Oak Ridge HS)
“Guilt”
Jennaly Nolan (Farragut HS)
“Tennessee Sunrise”
Seth Boullie (Oak Ridge HS)
“Hatred”
 Prose Angel Bowers (Sequoyah HS, Madisonville)
“Forget Me Not”
Anna Grace Gragg (Farragut HS)
“Writer’s Block”
Lizzie Moncur (Hardin Valley HS, Knoxville)
“I’m Sorry”
 
Adult Competition         
  Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
 Ann Thornfeld-Long (Norris, TN)
“The Crying Room”
 John Mannone (Niota, TN)
“The Quality of Mercy”
 Jarrett Kaufman (Lafayette, LA)
“Plum Hill”
 
  Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
 John Mannone (Niota, TN)
“The Walnut Street Bridge”
 Carol Robbins (Montgomery, AL)
“How Old is Old?”
 Robert B. Robeson (Lincoln, NE)
“I Knew You’d Come”
 
 Poetry  Sandy Coomer (Brentwood, TN)
“Available Light”
 Sandy Coomer (Brentwood, TN)
“Blue Moon and Bright Stars”
 Cathy Kodra (Knoxville, TN)
“Goat, Bridge”
 Chloe Hanson (Knoxville, TN)
“After the Third Ring”
Writing for Young People  Lydia Phillips (Sparta, TN)
“Beast”
 Linda Underwood (Knoxville, TN)
“Things I Love”
 John Mannone (Niota, TN)
“The Treehouse”
 
 Inspirational  Rita M. Reali (Crossville, TN)
“A New Day for Xena”
 Donna M. Crow (Irvine, KY)
“TIME”
 Lou Ann Cristy (Oak Ridge, TN)
“Melody: A Song”
 Mary K. Hodges (Powell, TN)
“The Thawing”
Deborah Scaperoth (Lenoir City, TN)
“Risk Delight”
 Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
 Sandy Coomer (Brentwood, TN)
“Available Light”
     
2016 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE  3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
 Student Competition         
 Poetry Jahnney Cantrell (Oak Ridge HS)
“Late Nigh Texts with a Math Enthusiast”
 
 Jake Goodlaxson (Oak Ridge HS)
“Melting”
 Summer Duncan (Tellico Plains HS)
“Mystery”
 
Prose  Chloe Rhodes (Christian Academy of Knoxville)
“Forgotten”
 Kensie Payne (Northview Academy)
“Christmas Dinner’s Not-So-Ordinary Tradition”
 Sarah Moler (William Blount HS)
“Strike Team LA”
Jahnney Cantrell (Oak Ridge HS)
“Coffee”
Aaron Tobler (Oak Ridge HS)
“What’s In a Name”
 Adult Competition         
 Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Mary K. Hodges (Powell, TN)
“Song Bird”
Carol Robbins (Montgomery, AL)
“Tangerine Tango”
Rita M. Reali (Crossville, TN)
Glimpse of Emerald, novel excerpt
 
  Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
Emily Welch (Cumberland Gap, TN)
“Untitled”
Rita M. Reali (Crossville, TN)
“Xena’s Adventures in Doggy Hell”
Carol Robbins  (Montgomery, AL)
“Saying Goodbye”
Sharon Boudreaux (Knoxville, TN)
“Goodwill”
Carol Robbins (Montgomery, AL)
“Images of Ida”
 Poetry Deborah Scaperoth (Knoxville, TN)
“Coffin Carved Out of Time”
Sally Clark (Fredericksburg, TX)
“Cow Jumps Over the Moon”
Deborah Scaperoth (Knoxville, TN)
“From What Country Is This Love?”
Sally Clark ( Fredericksburg, TX)
“Crop Rotation”
 Writing for Young People Sally Clark (Fredericksburg, TX)
“Boogie Man Jam”
Russel Hirst (Knoxville, TN)
“I Heard Two Hippopotami”
Carol Robbins  (Montgomery, AL)
“Lulu and the Magic Word”
 
Inspirational Barbara J. Turner (Kingston, TN)
“The Path to My Roots”
Barbara J. Turner (Kingston, TN)
“The Space Between”
Littie Croft (Cookeville, TN)
“Meet Me at the Crossroads, Podna”
Mary K. Hodges (Powell, TN)
“Neighbors for Christmas”
John Mannone (Niota, TN)
“The Samaritan Woman”
Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
 Deborah Scaperoth (Knoxville, TN)      
 2015  1st PLACE  2nd PLACE   3rd PLACE  HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition         
Prose Shane Harris (Oak Ridge HS)
“Summer in a Madhouse”
 
 
Colleen Hulsey (Oak Ridge HS)
“Beyond Control”
 
 
Kayla Collins (Oliver Spring HS)
“The Game of Death”
 
 
 
Poetry Rachel Smith (Oliver Spring HS)
“A Perfectly Composed Memory”
 
 
Allissa Leudemann (Tellico Plains HS)  “Will You Remember Me?”   Jessica Tinnel (Oak Ridge HS)
“Two Different Streams of Thought”
 
 
 
Adult Competition         
 Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Wendy Dinwiddie (Talbott, TN)
“The Box and the Machine”
 
 
Victoria Hubbell (Lake Ozark, MO)
“Mrs. Noah”
 
 
Tony Jordan (Clinton, TN)
“The Penitent Priest”
J. Kyle Johnson (Knoxville, TN)
“The Canary’s Song”
 
 Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
John Mannone (Niota, TN)
“Antietam National Battlefield”
Deborah Scaperoth (Lenoir City, TN)
“Into the Thin Air of Tibet”
 J. Kyle Johnson (Knoxville, TN)
“My Best Day Fishin’…Ever”
 

Jane Flanagan (Oak Ridge, TN) “The Sneeze”

Nancy Rayside (Oak Ridge, TN)
“The Following Summer”

Poetry John Mannone (Niota, TN)
“Night Rhythms”
Ronald Lands (Oak Ridge, TN)
“Breathing the Same Air”
Ronald Lands (Oak Ridge, TN)
“Small Talk”
 
 Writing for Young People Barbara Gold (Stamford, CT)
“Weed Whackers, Open for Business”
 
 
Randi Lynn Mrvos (Lexington, KY)
“Totally, Completely, Perfectly Me”
 
 
Judy Kagley Bingham (Alcoa, TN)
“Hold It…Write!”
 
 
 
Inspirational Donna M. Crow (Irvine, KY)
“The Bobcat”
Donna Reichle (Kingston, TN)
“Journey of the Ladies”
Tony Jordan (Clinton, TN)
“Sewanee as Touchstone”
Linda Hudson Hoagland (North Tazewell, VA)  “Moms Know”
  Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Wendy Dinwiddie (Talbott, TN)
“The Box and the Machine”
 
 
     
 2014  1st PLACE 2nd PLACE   3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION 
Student Competition         
 Prose Tucker Rouse (William Blount HS, Maryville, TN)
“The Vagrant’s Fable”
 
 
Abigail Douglas (Oak Ridge HS) “Easier Than I Had Imagined”   Lucas Potter (Oak Ridge HS) “Forever Friends”    
 Poetry Abigail Douglas (Oak Ridge HS) “The Other Ten Percent” Drew Dixson (Christian Academy of Knoxville) “The Cabin” Emily Stansfield (Oak Ridge HS) “The Enemy”   Joe Bivens (Tellico Plains HS) “Junk Food Johnny” &  Hannah Clothier (Christian Academy of Knoxville) “Warm with Autumn”  
Adult Competition         
 Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Lauren Glenn (Jacksboro, TN) “Silence”  Donna Reichle (Kingston, TN) “A Letter to Luke Richard Drew (Gatlinburg, TN) “Stranded”   John C. Mannone (Niota, TN) “Lavender Stars and the Jasmime Wind”  
 Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
Stephanie Levy (Knoxville, TN) “Sharing Christmas”  J. Kyle Johnson (Knoxville, TN) “Living in the Shadow of the Nuclear Warhead”  Linda Underwood (Knoxville, TN) “The First Ever Artificial Christmas Tree”        
 Poetry Wanda Ensor Grooms (Oak Ridge, TN) “Photo of the Unborn”  Mary K. Hodges (New Tazewell, TN) “Wash Day”   John C. Mannone (Niota, TN) “Gambles”   Wanda Ensor Grooms (Oak Ridge, TN) “Summer People”  
 Writing for Young People Sally Clark (Fredericksburg, TX) “Lilah Belle’s Busy Day” J. Kyle Johnson (Knoxville, TN) “The Bear’s Picnic”  Wanda Ensor Grooms (Oak Ridge, TN) “Growing Ginny”   
 Inspirational Victoria Hubbell (Lake Ozark, MO) “Mount Everest” Mary K. Hodges (New Tazewell, TN) “Flowers for William” Jennie Ivey (Cookeville, TN) “Still Beating”  Jennie Ivey (Cookeville, TN) “More Than a Souvenir” 
  Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Victoria Hubbell (Lake Ozark, MO) “Mount Everest” 
 2013  1st PLACE 2nd PLACE   3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION 
Student Competition         
 Prose Shane Harris (Oak Ridge HS)
“Dear Lilly”
 
 
Abigail Douglas (Oak Ridge HS) “Second Chances”   Kelsey Rochelle (Oak Ridge HS) “Cold Eyes”    
 Poetry Harrison Weible (Oak Ridge HS) “87 Volvo” James Eston Dunn, III (Oak Ridge HS) “The Explorer” Christian Cain (Oak Ridge HS) “A Letter of Remembering”   Noah Gurley (Oak Ridge HS) “Orion” &  Andrew Strader (Oak Ridge HS) “Preserved”  
Adult Competition         
 Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Vicki Crawford (Scott Depot, WV) “One Busted Wheel”  L. R. Burgess (Cookeville, TN) “Tale of the Magpie/Sug and Sukey” Chapter 1 Heidi Greenhalgh (Oak Ridge, TN) “The Ice Skating Cow”   Laura Hunter (Northport, AL) “Letter from Vicksburg, 1863”  
 Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
Chrissie Anderson Peters (Bristol, TN) “I Changed My Mind”  Lou Ann Harris Cristy (Oak Ridge, TN) “The Run-Away Trio”  Donna Reichle (Kingston, TN) “Poot Roots in the Closet”    Linda Underwood (Knoxville, TN) “The Christmas Sally Haskins Stonecipher Went Blind” & Elsie Schmied Knoke (Oak Ridge, TN) “Some Thoughts for Retirees”    
 Poetry Deborah Scaperoth (Lenoir City, TN) “After Reading Hunger Games at the Monastery”   Sally Clark (Fredericksburg, TX) “Barking and Clawing Against a Sensible Leash”   Deborah Scaperoth (Lenoir City, TN) “Plentitude: Joel 2:25”  Gretchen McCroskey (Bristol, TN) “Washed Clean”  
 Writing for Young People Linda Underwood (Knoxville, TN) “A Boy A Dog and A Frog” Vicki J. Cypcar (Sparta, TN) “Clara’s Prayers” Jan Sherbin (Cincinnati, OH) “Marina, Galina, Come Eat Your Semolina”  
 Inspirational Nancy Rayside (Oak Ridge, TN) “Therapy” Ronald Michaels (Seymour, TN) “Life” Casey Walton (Huntsville, AL) “Pot Luck for Maria” Judy Lee Green (Murfreesboro, TN) “Leading the Fire Drill” 
  Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Deborah Scaperoth (Lenoir City, TN) “After Reading Hunger Games at the Monastery”     
2012 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE 3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition        
Prose        
 Poetry        
Adult Competition        
Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Elsie Schmied Knoke (Oak Ridge, TN) “The Caregivers” Linda Hudson Hoaglund (North Tazewell, VA) “And the Next Day” Bob Mustin (Asheville, NC) “The Faithful City” Laura Glenn (Henderson, TN) “The Good Ole Days”
Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
Linda Lou Weaver (Harrogate, TN) “Biscuits in a Can” Chrissie Anderson Peters (Bristol, TN) “Learning to Drive” Judy Lee Green (Murfreesboro, TN) “From Blush to Bloom”  —
Poetry Donna Doyle (Knoxville, TN) “Extreme Measures” Shannon Collins (Cookeville, TN) “Waking One Thursday” Donna McClanahan (Berea, KY) “Unwordable Utterance” Marian Shapir (Lexington, MA) “Around Here, March” & Sue Dunlap (Walland, TN) “Home Water”
 Writing for Young People Jean Leigh Claudette (Thelma Lee Hartigan-Seymour, TN) “The Mystery of the Owl’s Music” Jean Leigh Claudette (Thelma Lee Hartigan-Seymour, TN) “Mercedes James Book 2: Shrugs, Hugs and Other Valuable Things” Mike French (Rives Junction, MI) “How Ryan Stole the Monster’s Brain”  —
 Inspirational  Mary K Hodges (New Tazwell, TN) “The Scrapbook” Donna Reichle (Kingston, TN)
“The Infusion Room”
 Annie Golson (Clinton, TN)
“The Old Man”
 —
 Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
 Donna Doyle (Knoxville, TN) for her poem “Extreme Measures”
 2011 1st PLACE  2nd PLACE  3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
 Student Competition        
 Prose Alysse Riggs (Oak Ridge HS) “Forgiven” Travis J. Labossiere-Hickman (Brush Creek, TN home school) “Scourge of the Mediterranean” Chelsea Sue Conley (Roane County HS) “The Story That Was Never Told”  
  Poetry Kyle Poteet (Oak Ridge HS) “The Rising Sunset” Kurt Smith (Oak Ridge HS) “Crashing Down” Kayla Sweet Gonzales (Oak Ridge HS) “The Soundtrack of My Life”  
 Adult Competition        
 Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Luther Kirk (Pulaski, TN) “The Bastard Child of My Oldest Sister Vivian” Denton Loving (Speedwell, TN) “Fiddlers” Jacob P. Cline, III (Middlesboro, KY) “The Mine”  
 Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
Allen Russell (Hartford, KY) “Mule and the Razor-strop” Jennie Ivey (Cookeville, TN) “Scooter Chicks Rule” Ralph Bowden (Cookeville, TN) “First Boat”  
 Poetry Denton Loving (Speedwell, TN) “Your Very Flesh” Gretchen McCroskey (Bristol, TN) “Camouflage”  None awarded.  
  Writing for Young People Randi Lynn Mrvos (Lexington, KY) “Maggie and the Third Grade Blues” Marian Lewis (Owens Crossroads, AL) “Miss Bo Likes to Go” Linda Hudson Hoagland (North Tazewell, VA) “I Dare You”  
 Inspirational Jennie Ivey (Cookeville, TN) “A Mother Who Read to Me” Karen Hebert(Oak Ridge, TN) “I Miss You on Sunday ” Susan Ray (Cookeville, TN) “It’s Not Much”  
 Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Jennie Ivey (Cookeville, TN) “A Mother Who Read to Me”
2010 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE 3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition        
Prose Catherine Moskos (Townsend Harris HS, Douglaston, NY) “Nightmare” Sam Gamble (Western HS, Davie, FL) “Masks” Dustin Anderson (Wm French HS, Palatine, IL) “The Tenets”  
Poetry Molly K. Ensign-Simmons (Oak Ridge HS) “Coronation” Emma Elisabeth Fosso McNairy (Salem Academy, Winston-Salem, NC) “Real” Candice Marie (South Doyle HS) “Where I’m From” Arianna Greenberg (Oak Ridge HS) “Long Lost Friend”
Adult Competition        
Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Ruth Pettey Jones (Cookeville, TN) “Since January” Elsie Knoke (Oak Ridge, TN) “Wedding Day”  DeVan Burton (Knoxville, TN) “Cake”  
Joy Margrave
Nonfiction Award
Judy Lee Green (Murfreesboro, TN) “The Tampa Turquoise Flash” Laura Martin-Palmatier (Crossville, TN) “The Suitcase” Donna R. Reichle (Kingston, TN) “The Ammo-Camo Safari”  
Poetry Sandy Coomer (Brentwood, TN) “Common Miracles” Sandy Coomer (Brentwood, TN) “Questions You Ask” Heather Hayes (Sparta) “To An Amphora” Robert Ward (Oak Ridge, TN) “Sea Life, a Sestina”
Writing for Young People Florence Rita Monette (Deer Lodge, TN) Zone of Fear (novel excerpt) Florence Rita Monette (Deer Lodge, TN) Legend of Ghost Dog Island (novel excerpt) Marian Lewis (Owens Crossroads, AL) “Copper With Venom” Kathleen E. Fearing (Clinton, TN) “Voyage of Dreams”
Inspirational Judy Lee Green (Murfreesboro, TN) “Married One Hundred Years” Ruth Pettey Jones (Cookeville, TN) “The Great Thanksgiving Challenge” Jane Flanagan (Oak Ridge, TN) “A Doe in the Window”  
Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Ruth Pettey Jones (Cookeville, TN) “Since January”
2009 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE 3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition        
Prose Jordan Frye (Cookeville High School) “Rayne” Melanie McNeely (Knoxville, TN home school) “The Cup of Tea” Alexandra Nicole Shipp (Oak Ridge High School) “Summer’s End”  
Poetry Monica Silvera (Oak Ridge High School) “To Certain Girls” Kelsey Hook (Oak Ridge High School) “Summer Ghosts, Waking Dreams” Lauren Nettles (Oak Ridge High School) “But I Am” Claire Northern (Knoxville Catholic High)  “Where I’m From”;  Lauren Krouse (Farragut High School)  “Cape Hatteras ”
Adult Competition        
Patricia Boatner
Fiction Award
Laura Hunter (Northport, AL) “A Widow’s Mite” Reilly Maginn (Daphne, AL) “High Iron” Rebecca B. Carroll (Clinton, TN) “Granny Polyester” Laura Martin-Palmatier (Crossville, TN) “Fence Jumper”; Frank Jamison (Kingston, TN) “Catfish”
 Nonfiction
Michael J. Paskel (Oak Ridge, TN) “All We Have To Fear” Ruth Pettey Jones (Cookeville, TN) “That Which Doesn’t Kill Us” Lou Ann Harris Cristy (Oak Ridge, TN) “No Electricity”  
Poetry Shannon Collins (Cookeville, TN) “Thinking of Your Oldest” Donna Doyle (Knoxville, TN) “After Rain, Fireflies” Emily Grimes-Henderson (Birmingham, AL) “We Are Water Stones Air and Light” Emily Grimes-Henderson (Birmingham, AL) “Examining History”;  Vicki H. Moss  (Chattanooga, TN) “The Debatable Land”
 Writing for Young People Jan Sherbin (Cincinnati, OH) “Pasha, Natasha, Come Eat Your Kasha” Jennie Ivy (Cookeville, TN) “Harriet Hoffmeister’s Big Girl Bed” Connie Foster (Woodbury, TN) “Cherokee Sky” Charlene W. Dickinson (Cookeville, TN) “The Red Dress”; Randi Lynn Mrvos (Lexington, KY) “Charlie and the Book of Cat”
Inspirational Michael R. Cates (Oak Ridge, TN) “Mr. Evans” Patti Perry-Armes (Knoxville, TN) “Dorie’s Legacy” Ruth Pettey Jones (Cookeville, TN) “Call Me Pollyanna Hope, Queries, and Rejection Letters” Donna Reichle (Kingston, TN) “Christmas Angels”; Vicki H. Moss (Chattanooga, TN) “Christmas Fishing”
Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Shannon Collins (Cookeville, TN) “Thinking of Your Oldest”
2008 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE 3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition        
 Prose Monica Silvera (Oak Ridge High School) “The Way Things Are” Hannah Fronzak (Oak Ridge High School) “Why We Will Eventually Ban Pigeons” Anna Reddick (Oak Ridge High School) “Elephants” Anna Namey (Knoxville Catholic High)“A Big Little Conversation with Grandpa”; Renee Braden (Oliver Springs High) “Blood Stain: The First Murder”
Poetry Kellsey Hook (Oak Ridge High School) “To the Pretty Boy” Hannah Fronzak (Oak Ridge High School) “I’d have a Pulitzer by now (if I hadn’t forgotten my pen)” Anna Reddick (Oak Ridge High School) “Bridges”  
Adult Competition        
Fiction
Donna McClanahan (Irvine, KY) “Common Ground” Lisa Barrick (Speedwell, TN) “Monkey Business” Thomas White (Dunlap, TN) “Semper Fidelis for Melissa” Patricia Perry-Armes (Knoxville, TN) Willie’s Wisdom; Thomas Keats McKnight (Cedar Bluff, VA) “Things Stand Just the Way They Were”
Nonfiction
Sylvia D. Lynch (New Tazwell, TN) “August Women” Howard Dykes (Mt. Juliet, TN) “Christmas 1936” Linda L. Weaver (Harrogate, TN) “Skipping Cards” R. Reilly Maginn (Daphne, AL) “Cutthroat”
Poetry Frank Jamison (Kingston, TN) “Second Chance” Sylvia Woods (Oak Ridge, TN) “What We Take With Us” Judy Lee Green (Murfreesboro, TN) “The Dogtown Wishy-Washy” Brooke Drinnon (Sneedville, TN) “My Song”
Writing for Young People Rose Nelson (Greenville, NC) Freeing Mattie, a novel excerpt Jennie Ivy (Cookeville, TN) “Something Just As Good” Sharon Mowery (Oak Ridge, TN) “Billie’s Gift”  
Inspirational Jennie Ivy (Cookeville, TN) “Pumpkin-Nut Bread Baking Buddies” Ruth Pettey Jones (Cookeville, TN) “The Joy of Books” Joanna Hanigan (Knoxville, TN) “Between Byways and Doorways”  
 Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Donna McClanahan (Irvine, KY) “Common Ground”
2007 1st PLACE 2nd PLACE 3rd PLACE HONORABLE MENTION
Student Competition        
Prose Katie Dunkirk (Oak Ridge High School) “Impact” Taylor Hawley (Oak Ridge High School) “Reading Assignments” Kara LeNoir (Oak Ridge High School) “Sunglasses” Arwyn Karney (Oliver Springs High School) “Two’s Company, Three’s Murder”
 Poetry Mary Ann Aabye (Oak Ridge High School) “The Stage of My Life” Taylor Hawley (Oak Ridge High School) “The Memory Tree” Maureen White (Oak Ridge High School) “Not Even a Glass Half Empty ”  
Adult Competition        
Fiction
Jimmy Carl Harris (Birmingham, AL) “Colores de Mayo” Susan Murphy (Birmingham , AL) “The Elegiac of the Seas” Don Morrison (Maryville, TN) “The Deal” Charlene W. Dickinson (Cookeville, TN) a novel excerpt from Queen Sistuh Camellia
Nonfiction
Victoria Hubbell (Osage Beach, MO) “Saturday Night” Tracy Paul (Cookeville, TN) “A Lapse of Judgement” Vicki H. Moss (Chattanooga, TN) “Unlike Elvis, Jesus Hasn’t Left The Building” Elsie Schmied Knoke (Oak Ridge, TN) “The Invasion”
Poetry Donna Doyle (Knoxville, TN) “Sunbathing with Elvis” Luke Horn (Knoxville, TN) “Elijah” Donna Doyle (Knoxville, TN) “Daphne’s Lament”  
Writing for Young People Eleanor Langford (Algood, TN) “Kite Day Dragons” Randi Lynn Mrvos (Lexington, KY) “Brooke and the Ladies of Bath” Jennie Ivey (Cookeville, TN) “Trading Places” Jennie Ivey (Cookeville, TN) “One Tall Tree”; Daniel Leonard (Oak Ridge, TN) “Little Tugs”
 Inspirational Patti Perry-Armes (Knoxville, TN) “Time With Ms Emily” Lou Carter (Murfreesboro, TN) “Music of My Life” Elsie Schmied Knoke (Oak Ridge, TN) “To Dream the Impossible Dream”  
Sue Ellen Hudson Excellence
in Writing Award
Victoria Hubbell (Osage Beach, MO) “Saturday Night”