Writing Well Contest
2024/25
Our guest judge is: Kate Hewitt
She is the multimillion selling author of over 50 works of contemporary and historical fiction under the name Kate Hewitt. She has been published by Penguin, Hachette, Harper Collins and others, and loves writing emotionally authentic and compelling stories. She also mentors authors through Cornerstones Literary Consulting, and has offered workshops in creative writing in various settings and locations. She lives in the Princeton, New Jersey area with her husband and the two youngest of their five mostly grown up children.
Links:
Website: katehewittbooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateHewittAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katehewitt1/
Substack: https://katehewitt.substack.com/
Check back for updates!
Level 3 ( 7th-9th)
Grand Prize Winner
=When the Rain Falls=
by Emily Tang
Story Link
Runner Up:
=Freezing Points=
by Sophia Ji
Story Link
Finalists
=The Tracks=
by
Chloe Y. Hua
Story Link
=Thrill in Monotony=
by
Gordon Zhang
Story Link
=A Million Memories in a Mango's Shade=
by
Reanna Bhuyan Patel
Story Link
Semi- Finalists
=Snow Day= by Emily Zhao Story Link
=The Light Bringer= by Emily Yang Story Link
= Stars Don't Make Mistakes=. by Catherine You Story Link
=The Golden Tide by= Grace Hong Story Link
=The Last Beacon= by Roger Huang Story Link
= The Ringtails= by Grace Chen Story Link
Level 2 ( 5th /6th)
Grand Prize Winner
= 300° F =
by Maxwell Yang
Story Link
Runner Up:
=Blessings are Curses in Disguise=
by Melanie You
Story Link
Finalists:
=The Snowstorm=
by Austin Li
Story Link
=Operation Phantom=
by Maahika Muthunoori
Story Link
Semi Finalists
=Memories= by Sharanya Chauhan Story Link
=The Part Dead Gerbil= by Ryder Duan Story Link
=Honesty is the best policy= by Meiyao Wang Story Link
=The Bicycle Crash= by Aarabhi Jain Story Link
Level 1 (3rd/4th)
Grand Prize Winner:
=The Baby Brother=
by Anna Xie
Story Link
Runner Up:
=My Real Fake Friend=
by Mirabelle
Story Link
Finalists:
=No Learning=
by Annie Ou
Story Link
=Where Wings Belong=
by Andrew Zhang
Story Link
Semi-Finalists
= The Sound From Above = by Stella Qian Story Link
=The Big Game= by Thomas Wen Story link
=Adventure= by Anthony Tang Story Link
=A New Hero= by Ben Li Story Link
=How to Hatch a Plan= by Amelia Tyan Story Link
.
Our Community Judges for 2024/25 include:
Bart Jackson: author of a dozen books ranging from outdoor adventure guides to business texts. As a journalist he has published thousands of articles in magazines and newspapers across the globe. He is currently CEO of Prometheus Publishing and host of The Art of the CEO radio show.
May Zheng: (Former PWA student!) is currently an undergraduate senior at Rutgers University studying cognitive science, Russian literature, and history. She writes extensively in these disciplines, which currently includes an interdisciplinary thesis bridging philology, cognitive science, and literature. Beyond writing, she has a career in the arts, specifically illustration and portraiture, and teaches fine arts to students of all ages at her art school in Plainsboro. Check it out! artacademystudios.com/location/plainsboro/
Rachael McKee Helps small business owners engage with their local communities by sharing captivating stories and encouraging connection. A former corporate communications director and ghostwriter, she believes that powerful stories can change behavior, so crafting the right message is paramount. In addition to her roles in the corporate and non profit sectors, Rachael spent several years writing a cultural perspective blog and women's ministry devotionals. She has a B.A. in Communication Arts from Ohio Northern University.
Bart Jackson: author of a dozen books ranging from outdoor adventure guides to business texts. As a journalist he has published thousands of articles in magazines and newspapers across the globe. He is currently CEO of Prometheus Publishing and host of The Art of the CEO radio show.
May Zheng: (Former PWA student!) is currently an undergraduate senior at Rutgers University studying cognitive science, Russian literature, and history. She writes extensively in these disciplines, which currently includes an interdisciplinary thesis bridging philology, cognitive science, and literature. Beyond writing, she has a career in the arts, specifically illustration and portraiture, and teaches fine arts to students of all ages at her art school in Plainsboro. Check it out! artacademystudios.com/location/plainsboro/
Rachael McKee Helps small business owners engage with their local communities by sharing captivating stories and encouraging connection. A former corporate communications director and ghostwriter, she believes that powerful stories can change behavior, so crafting the right message is paramount. In addition to her roles in the corporate and non profit sectors, Rachael spent several years writing a cultural perspective blog and women's ministry devotionals. She has a B.A. in Communication Arts from Ohio Northern University.
2023/24 Writing Contest Results!
7th-9th
Grand Prize Winner: Under the Moon by: Emily Zhao
Runner up: The Pages of Friendship by: Grace Hong
5th-6th
Grand Prize Winner: The Brown Splatter by: Stella Zeng
Runner up: Echoes of Identity by: Emily Tang
3rd-4th
Grand Prize Winner: A Girl Called Hope by: Sharanya Chauhan
Runner up: The Math Test by: Meiyao Wang
Congratulations!!
The following stories placed in the top 8.
Their authors are invited to the Writing Well Story Celebration.
7th-9th
Finalist: Painting My Shattering Dream by Silver Zhang
Finalist: Beyond the Blur by Roger Huang
Semi-finalist Lucid Dreams by Ethan Yan
Semi-finalist When the Birds Listened by Sophia Ji
Semi-finalist A Family Scrabble of Dark and Light by Angelina Wen
Semi-finalist Dawn of D-Day by Madhav Nair
5th-6th
Finalist The Broken Bully by Pushkar Vatsavayi
Finalist The Chinese festival by Leo Bai
Semi-finalist The Outdated Netflix Bully by Reyansh Jalagani
Semi-finalist Hidden Truths by Chloe Hua
Semi-finalist Rescue by Zachary Wen
Semi-finalist The Dilemma by Adalyn Ben
3rd-4th
Finalist Naughty Kid by Isaac Yin
Finalist Jack and the Babysitter by Ben Li
Semi-finalist A Winter's Rescue Adventure by Sandy Ji
Semi-finalist One Crafty Cat by Anna Xie
Semi-finalist A Field Trip to the Farm by Amelia Ryan
Semi-finalist Indiana Jones Ride by Daniel Xu
Guest Judge 2023/24
Yobe Qiu is an author and educator based in New Jersey and New York. She started her multicultural book business, byYQ Multicultural Books and Toys, in 2020 after writing the book Our Lunar New Year to teach kids about various ways Asian countries celebrate the new year. She decided to continue writing books about Asian children, families, and cultures to show the new generation in America how important diversity, love, and inclusion are. She has now written 8 books, 3 series, created a table top game, and been featured in The Kelly Clarkson Show, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Tonight, Market Watch, and more! She is grateful to have been selected to be the guest judge for this years' contest!
Website: www.byyobeqiu.com
Instagram, Facebook: By Yobe Qiu
Guest Judge 2023/24
Yobe Qiu is an author and educator based in New Jersey and New York. She started her multicultural book business, byYQ Multicultural Books and Toys, in 2020 after writing the book Our Lunar New Year to teach kids about various ways Asian countries celebrate the new year. She decided to continue writing books about Asian children, families, and cultures to show the new generation in America how important diversity, love, and inclusion are. She has now written 8 books, 3 series, created a table top game, and been featured in The Kelly Clarkson Show, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Tonight, Market Watch, and more! She is grateful to have been selected to be the guest judge for this years' contest!
Website: www.byyobeqiu.com
Instagram, Facebook: By Yobe Qiu
Our Community Judges for 2023/24 include:
Bart Jackson: author of a dozen books ranging from outdoor adventure guides to business texts. As a journalist he has published thousands of articles in magazines and newspapers across the globe. He is currently CEO of Prometheus Publishing and host of The Art of the CEO radio show.
Local author Matthew Thorburn who has published several books of poetry, including The Grace of Distance, a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize, and Dear Almost, which received the Lascaux Prize. His new book, String: A Story in Verse, was recently published by Louisiana State University Press.
Jennifer Tobin has a PhD in English Literature and worked as a medical writer and editor for 18 years. She currently writes short stories.
Thank you for offering to read, comment on and choose winners from our semi final round.
Bart Jackson: author of a dozen books ranging from outdoor adventure guides to business texts. As a journalist he has published thousands of articles in magazines and newspapers across the globe. He is currently CEO of Prometheus Publishing and host of The Art of the CEO radio show.
Local author Matthew Thorburn who has published several books of poetry, including The Grace of Distance, a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize, and Dear Almost, which received the Lascaux Prize. His new book, String: A Story in Verse, was recently published by Louisiana State University Press.
Jennifer Tobin has a PhD in English Literature and worked as a medical writer and editor for 18 years. She currently writes short stories.
Thank you for offering to read, comment on and choose winners from our semi final round.
Winning Titles 2022/23
Click the Underlined Titles to read the stories.
|
7th-9th grade
Awarded Certificates and $90/$60 Grand Prize: Persimmon by: Kathy Yang Runner Up: Life is a Marathon by: Anna Kang |
7th-9th grade Finalists:
Awarded Certificates and $5 ice cream shop gift card: Life is a Marathon Limited Chances by: Anya Gruteser Oh to be a Girl by: Chloe Wang The Sunset by: Angela Zhang |
7th-9th grade Semi-finalists:
Awarded Certificates Hidden by Yi-Tian Xiong Best Friend by Helen Yu Spark of Hope by Raymond Li |
|
5th-6th grade
Awarded Certificates and $60/$40 Grand Prize: The War that Brought us Together by: Grace Hong Runner Up: Krystyna's Vacation by: Valeria Zhang |
5th/6th grade Finalists:
Awarded Certificates and $5 ice cream shop gift card: Robot vs. Orgami by: Audrey Zhang Take your Marks by: Rick Wang |
5th/6th grade Semi- finalists:
Awarded Certificates: Between Life and Death by Sophie Cain Everything Ambrosia by Emily Zhao So Here I am by Sophia Ji Which Matters More by Roger Huang |
|
3rd/4th grade
Awarded Certificates and $30/$20 Grand Prize: Lost Treasure by: Acadia Chen Runner Up: Going to the Museum by: Akansha Pynda |
3rd/4th grade Finalists:
Awarded Certificates and $5 ice cream shop gift card: Mia's Lesson by: Evelyn Kong School Should Not be Hated by: Justin Min |
3rd/4th grade Semi-finalists:
Awarded Certificates: Storm Vs. Human by Gautham Mushti The Giant Tornedo by Shreeyan Veera Pampana |
 Grand Prize Winner 2022
Grand Prize Winner 2022 Claire Tang also won a Gold Key for Scholastic at the State Level and was the District winner for Patriot's Pen this year. Congratulations! |
Princeton Writing Academy 2021/2022 Annual Writing Contest Results Grand Prize Winner 7th-9th : BlueJays by Claire Tang Grand Prize Winner 3rd- 6th: The Real Battle by Emily Zhao |
Guest judge, Jean Hanff Korelitz, chose the Grand Prize winners from nearly 90 entrants.
Thank you for the contributions of entrants and the sponsorship of Prometheus Publishing.
Level 2 Finalists:
Grand Prize Winner: BlueJays by Claire Tang
Socks of Hope by Fiona Callanan
Cadence by Isabel Ni
Level 1 Finalists:
Grand Prize Winner: The Real Battle by Emily Zhao
It Could be Anything by Charissa Hsu
Treasure Hunt by Anya Kshirsagar
Barb Braendlein 2022/23Guest Judge:
Barbara Braendlein is an author, a homeschooling mother of four special needs kids, and an urban farm wife in the Pacific Northwest. Her writing looks for joy in the ordinary, for exceptional in the mundane, and regularly seeks to answer the question, "What Would Erma Bombeck Do?" You can explore her writing at www.barbarabraendlein.com or check out her book here.
Barbara Braendlein is an author, a homeschooling mother of four special needs kids, and an urban farm wife in the Pacific Northwest. Her writing looks for joy in the ordinary, for exceptional in the mundane, and regularly seeks to answer the question, "What Would Erma Bombeck Do?" You can explore her writing at www.barbarabraendlein.com or check out her book here.
New York Times best selling author Jean Hanff Korelitz guest judge for the 2021/22 submissions. Thank you.
Her book Admission, set in Princeton, became a movie starring Tina Fey.
Her book, The Plot, became the inspiration for HBO series the Undoing starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland.
This summer, she was interviewed by Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show as her book was his pick for summer 2021.
She will be reading and offering comments to our contest finalists and choosing our grand prize winner.
Amy Julia Becker 2020/21 Guest Judge:
Amy Julia Becker is an award-winning writer and speaker on faith, family, disability, and privilege. She is the author of four books, including White Picket Fences: Turning Towards Love in a World Divided by Privilege and A Good and Perfect Gift. A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, Amy Julia lives in western Connecticut with her husband, Peter, and their three children, Penny, William, and Marilee.
Amy Julia Becker 2020/21 Guest Judge:
Amy Julia Becker is an award-winning writer and speaker on faith, family, disability, and privilege. She is the author of four books, including White Picket Fences: Turning Towards Love in a World Divided by Privilege and A Good and Perfect Gift. A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, Amy Julia lives in western Connecticut with her husband, Peter, and their three children, Penny, William, and Marilee.
Steve Sheinkin 2019/20 Guest Judge
Steve Sheinkin is an American author of suspenseful history books for young adults. A former textbook writer, Sheinkin began writing full-time nonfiction books for young readers in 2008. His work has been widely acclaimed for its ability to transform historical information into thrilling, accessible accounts.
Karen Bao 2018/19 Guest Judge
Karen Bao, the author of The Dove Chronicles, a science fiction trilogy. Born in California and raised in New Jersey, she graduated from Columbia University with an ecology degree. Now a Ph.D. student in biology at Harvard University, she can often be found writing when she should be studying or doing experiments. Karen enjoys meeting cute lab animals, feeding her friends, and watering her plants.
Click the title to read previous winning entries:
2020/2021 Level 1 ( 3rd-5th)
Grand Prize: The Ramen Thief by Grace Liang
Runners Up: The Future of Humanity by Aidan Fan
The Rainbow by Sophia Ji
2020/2021 Level 2 (6th-8th) Winners
Grand Prize: Apple Pie and Cranberry Sauce Peter Yoon
Runners Up: The Missing Piece Anna Chun
Monster Under my Bed Laura Sallade
2019 /20 Level 1 Winners
Grand Prize Little Me Under the Spotlight by Emily Leng
Runner up The Greatest Joy by Chloe Wang
The Homeless Lady by Claire Tang
2019/20 Level 2 Winners
Grand Prize : Emergency X by Veronica Ma
Runner up: Chains of Freedom by Jessica Chen
A Diamond Ring by Andrew Kuo
2018/19 Level 1 Winners:
Grand Prize Tennis Tournament by Andrew K
Runners Up: Fright fest with clowns by Claire Tang
The Unexpected Crash by Angela Yang
2018/19 Level 2 Winners:
Grand Prize Sleep by Karen Y
Runners up: Bombed by Eliana Du
Trapped in a Bubble by Anthony Zhai
2017/18 Level 1 Winners:
Grand Prize: My Tree Camp by Andrew K
Runners Up: Hawaii by Alex
My Untold Secret by Tiffany T
2017/18 Level 2 Winners:
Grand Prize: Figs by Angelina C
Runners Up: Camping Catastrophe by Amber W
Arthur's Seat by Raymond G
I survived the Great Outdoors by Karen W
2017/18 Level 3 Winners:
Grand Prize: Unclear Signals by May Z
Runner Up: Public Speaking by undisclosed
Thank you to our community judges over the years
Bart Jackson: author of a dozen books ranging from outdoor adventure guides to business texts. As a journalist he has published thousands of articles in magazines and newspapers across the globe. He is currently CEO of Prometheus Publishing and host of The Art of the CEO radio show.
Lorraine Jackson: Retired director of the South Brunswick Public Library. She is currently an active board member of the International Federation of Library Associations and founds mobile libraries in such faraway corners as Ghana and Nepal. She also guides the Mercer Corrections prison library.
Dr. Marna Elliott : Retired Director of the Bridgewater Library, Somerset County Library System.
Currently a member of the Association for Library Services for Children and serving on the selection committee for the 2018 Sibert Award (informational books). Additionally, she has taught children's literature and how to teach reading at the college level. We are honored to have her input.
Thank you to our Past Community Judges:
Rozyln Flood: Philanthropic Advisor, Office of Gift Planning, Advancement, Princeton University. Roz is also a poet and recently joined the board of Copper Canyon Press.
Thank you to:
Prometheus Publishing for being our co sponsor.
Better Writing Builds Better Lives
For Authors & Readers
Bart Jackson: author of a dozen books ranging from outdoor adventure guides to business texts. As a journalist he has published thousands of articles in magazines and newspapers across the globe. He is currently CEO of Prometheus Publishing and host of The Art of the CEO radio show.
Lorraine Jackson: Retired director of the South Brunswick Public Library. She is currently an active board member of the International Federation of Library Associations and founds mobile libraries in such faraway corners as Ghana and Nepal. She also guides the Mercer Corrections prison library.
Dr. Marna Elliott : Retired Director of the Bridgewater Library, Somerset County Library System.
Currently a member of the Association for Library Services for Children and serving on the selection committee for the 2018 Sibert Award (informational books). Additionally, she has taught children's literature and how to teach reading at the college level. We are honored to have her input.
Thank you to our Past Community Judges:
Rozyln Flood: Philanthropic Advisor, Office of Gift Planning, Advancement, Princeton University. Roz is also a poet and recently joined the board of Copper Canyon Press.
Thank you to:
Prometheus Publishing for being our co sponsor.
Better Writing Builds Better Lives
For Authors & Readers
Congratulations to Shreya for her 2020 Scholastic Silver medal at the state level.
Congratulations to Chloe W for her 2019 Cotsen Library 350 for 50 award!
*In other contest news: Congratulations to 2019 Patriot's Pen local winners:
First Prize: Claire C
Second Prize: Anna C
Third Prize: Claire T
* PWA students, please let me know when you win a writing competition this year so we can celebrate your work...
A special Congratulations to MAY Z for placing Silver in Science Fiction at the National Level 2018.
(Over 330,000 students participate in this contest.)
At the sate level the GOLD Key winners in the Scholastic Writing Competition were: Angelina C and May Z. 2018
Congratulations to the silver and honorable mention students in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition: Nicole F, Jayshri G, Charis G, Carol G, Alison K, Shirley P, Marilyn Z, May Z 2018
Congratulations to Karen W for making it to the TOP THREE in the Adventure Write Contest 2018
Eliana D, Karen W, for their success in making it to the final round of the Adventure Write Contest 2018
Writing Contests:
September
Real Simple Life Lessons Contest
October
L Ron Hubbard quarterly contest
Rutgers Story quarterly
Patriots Pen
November
National Novel Writing Month
Princeton Writing Academy Contest
December
World War 2 Museum
Scholastic Art and Writing
January
Chicago Tribune
February
Grannie Annie
Creative communication essay contest
March
Breaking Barriers
The Claremont Review
Earth Day Poetry contest
April
Creative Communication Poetry contest
Mash Competition
Earth Day Short Fiction Contest
Earth day Contest Scranton University
May
New Voices
June
July
Writers of the Future
August
LunchTicket contest
Young Lions Fiction Award
=Student Writing =
Teacher's Choice