2023-2024 Young Writers Awards Winners
Bennington College congratulates all entrants on their extraordinary submissions and is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 winning entries.
Poetry
- First Place, “for your own good / All Men are Bad / sugar pill," Sophie Bernik, Traverse City, MI, Interlochen Arts Academy
- Second Place, “They grind up racehorses / all her things have gone far away / Bedtime Stories for Little Curses,” Seoyon Kim, East Greenwich, RI, Wheeler School
- Third Place, “Exam God Hands You While Dawdling Before the Pearly Gates / False Elegy / Homecoming,” Ava Chen, Wellesley, MA, Phillips Academy
Fiction
- First Place, “1000,” Kekoa Dowsett, Portland, OR, Jesuit High School
- Second Place, “Guide to Being a Girl When You’re Not One, Actually,” Faith Reasoner-Fellows, Castaic, CA, Castaic High School
- Third Place, “Holiness in a Downtown Apartment; A Bible Lesson,” Moriah Hogans, Dothan, AL, Dothan High School
Nonfiction
- First Place, “Death of the Pointe Shoe,” Addison (Addi) Moss, Pacific Palisades, CA, Stanford Online High School
- Second Place, “17 Hail Marys,” Venya Sharda, Fremont, CA, Washington High School
- Third Place, “Metamorphoses Caught in Transition,” Roark Petermann, Walden, NY, Valley Central High School
About the Contest
Bennington College has a unique literary legacy, including twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, countless New York Times bestsellers, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.
In celebration of this legacy, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Our goal with this competition is to recognize outstanding writing achievement by high school students.
Each year, students in the 9th–12th grades are invited to enter in one of the following categories with the following submission:
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Poetry: A group of three poems
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Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play (run no more than 30 minutes of playing time)
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Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)
A first, second, and third place winner is selected in each category.
We welcome submissions from both U.S. and international students.
Have questions about the contest? Email ywa@bennington.edu
Download a Young Writers Awards poster to print and hang in your classroom or school.
Awards & Rules
First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250.
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There is no entry fee.
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All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and sponsored by a high school teacher. We will use your sponsoring teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact a mentor to sponsor your writing.
Young Writers Award finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. YWA finalists who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. YWA winners who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington will receive a $15,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $60,000.
The competition runs annually from September 1 to November 1.
Congratulations to our 2023–2024 winners!
Young Writer's Awards FAQ
I am at a school outside of the U.S. Can I still enter?
Absolutely! We welcome students from all over the globe to participate in the Young Writers Awards.
Is there a fee to enter?
Nope! The competition is free.
My school doesn’t have a CEEB, what do I do?
Enter in N/A, we’ll figure it out from there.
Can I submit in more than one category?
We ask that participants submit in only one category, and submit only one time per year.
I have submitted this work previously to other awards, publications, or competitions. Can I still submit it?
We welcome simultaneous submissions.
I’m a gap year student. Can I enter?
We ask that students who participate be in 9th through 12th grade—sadly gap year students are not eligible for the competition.
Can my submission be in {language that is not English}?
We have a diverse group of people who read our submissions; however, we do not currently accept submissions that are not written in English.
Is the word count absolute?
As Stephen King says: kill your darlings. The word count is strict, get your submission down to 1500 words. Headers, footers, footnotes, titles, bibliographies all count.
What does “sponsoring teacher” mean and entail?
A sponsoring teacher is someone who has worked with you, read what you’ve decided to submit, and helped you edit it. They’ve given you feedback and advice. Once you submit your work, your sponsoring teacher’s work is largely done, but we want to make sure that you’ve done this step.
Who can my sponsoring teacher be?
You don’t have to have taken a class with them, but they should know you, and have worked with you in some capacity previously. Your parents don’t count (unless you’re a homeschooled student).
More About Literature Studies at Bennington
Academics
Literature studies at Bennington are grounded in the idea that good writers are good readers. Each year, an exceptional group of Bennington undergraduates is chosen to participate in an MFA summer residency through the Undergraduate Writing Fellowship. At the graduate level, the MFA offered by the Bennington Writing Seminars is one of the best low-residency programs in the United States.
Off the Page and Outside the Classroom
Bennington College believes that a writer’s influence extends beyond the printed page. As the steward of the Robert Frost Stone House Museum, Bennington is committed to maintaining and growing Robert Frost’s literary legacy in Southern Vermont and beyond.
Throughout the year, Bennington College welcomes prominent writers and alumni to campus for readings during its Literature Evenings, Poetry at Bennington, and Writers Reading series.
Students at Bennington are invited to contribute to SILO, the student literary and arts magazine. Bennington Review, a national biannual literary journal based at the College, provides students an opportunity to help edit and produce a professional print literary magazine.
Bennington College Literature students go on to become novelists, poets, journalists, biographers, and more. Explore notable alumni.
Join Us At Bennington
Interested in exploring what a Bennington education can offer? Here are some next steps:
Past Winners
Each year, over 5,000 students submitted poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to the Young Writers Awards competition. We congratulate all entrants on their extraordinary submissions, and are pleased to share past winning entries.
2022-2023 Winners
read media release
Poetry
- First Place, "Manhattanhenge / Scrapyard Blues / What moves the needle," Katie Hwang, Dalton School, New York, NY
- Second Place, "Ghazal for Matrilineal Multiverse / Appetence of Vietnamese Daughter / Moonlight on the Ganges," Sunny Vuong, BASIS San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
- Third Place, "parking lot supplications / Cassandra / (clementine) peel," Anaya Marei, homeschooled, Stockton, CA
Fiction
- First Place, "A Story Woven From a Bucket of Milk," Enkhjin Gantumur, School 1 of Ulaanbaatar, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
- Second Place, “Untitled,” Caroline Anthony, The High School of the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston, TX
- Third Place, "‘How have you been?’ ‘Unlike you,’" Shambhavi Sinha, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Collegiate Public School, Chandigarh, India
Nonfiction
- First Place, "Diagnosis of Familial, Lateral Curvatures," Joanna Liu, Lexington High School, Lexington, MA
- Second Place, "Cat in a Box," Kat Davis, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC
- Third Place, "Riddled Realities," Emaan Abbasi, Lahore Grammar School, Lahore, Pakistan
2021-2022 Winners
read media release
Poetry
- First Place, "How Did Li Bai Die? / How to Turn Into the River / Suns," Ran Zhao, King George V School, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- Second Place, "Broken Abecedarian for America / Ghazal for K / Fish-bodied," Jessica Kim, La Canada High School, La Canada, CA
- Third Place, "In Which My Mother Asks When the Hell I’m Getting Baptized / Etymology of Paternity / Bible Study Ghazal," Ashley Wang, Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville NJ
Fiction
- First Place, "Observations made at the Lu Family Dinner Table, New Year's Eve, 2019," Sunshine Chen, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA
- Second Place, "A Language is a Story," Olga Musial, 33 Copernicus High School, Warszawa, Poland
- Third Place, "I Leave the Six Blank" was written by Rachel Kenley Fry and attributed to another writer, who submitted the work. This never should have happened as the contest requires students to submit original work. We apologize to the writer for this wrongful attribution. Measures have been taken to guard against plagiarism in the future.
Nonfiction
- First Place, "The—Lovely—Red—Skirt," Youjaye Daniels, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenvile, SC
- Second Place, "Somewhere in Southern Florida," Vivian Zhu, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL
- Third Place, "Family Portrait as a Gutted Fish," Danny Liu, Lake Highland Prep School, Orlando, FL
2020-2021 Winners
read media release
Poetry
- First Place, "When You Wish Upon a Star / [letter to durga] / Sightseeing," Aanika Eragam, Milton High School, Alpharetta, GA
- Second Place, "a sudden nostalgia that i am meant to be somewhere else / The Bedroom / Etymology of Loss," Olivia Yang, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA
- Third Place, "Girl Sonnet / Honey Ghazal / Shelter, Water, A Bite to Eat," Madelyn Dietz, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
Fiction
- First Place, "Somewhere Nearby Connecticut, There's a Clan of Vampires and a Woman He May Never Know," Alyssa Wilson, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC
- Second Place, "Dinner of Three," Wes Davis, Henry Clay High School, Lexington, KY
- Third Place, "Birthday Party," Katarina Ivkovic, Hunter College High School, New York, NY
Nonfiction
- First Place, "Dissecting Matryoshka," Stefania Bielkina, The Dwight School, New York, NY
- Second Place, "Skin Test," Indigo Mudbhary, Lick Wilmerding High School, San Francisco, CA
- Third Place, "Gifted," Rebecca Orten, Middlebury Union High School, Middlebury, VT
2019-2020 Winners
read media release
2018-2019 Winners
Poetry
- First Place: "made without hands / My daughter inherits my mouth and my fear of everything / Things Without Mouths: An Index," Sophie Paquette, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
- Second Place: "Unneeded Insecurities / My Reason (Outro) / Arrival," Devon Reed-Rivera, Cumberland High School, Cumberland, VA
- Third Place: "Type Girl / Uber Driver / Daughter Said," Karrington Garland, Franklin Academy High School, Wake Forest, NC
Fiction
- First Place: "Haymarket," Cynthia Lu, Belmont High School, Belmont, MA
- Second Place: "Moon Fever," Kali Puhnaty, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Idyllwild, CA
- Third Place: "Hardest Hue to Hold, " Lillian Robles, Homeschooled, Glendale, CA
Nonfiction
- First Place: "Sundown with Giraffes," Azpiri Iglesias, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
- Second Place: "Becoming a Woman: A Checklist," Thalia King, Pittsburgh CAPA High School, Pittsburgh, PA
- Third Place: "Transience," Jessica Yu, West Linn High School, West Linn, OR
2017-2018 Winners
Poetry
- First Place: "Manhandling / i. lying ghazal / ii. lying ghazal," Julia Bohm, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
- Second Place: "Sext to Absalom / Bildungsroman with Distant Nation / Field Notes on Rough Trade," Aidan Forster, SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC
- Third Place: "Art Tatum: Harmonium / Art Plays a Myth / The Panther Room," Darius Atefat-Peckham, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
Fiction
- First Place: "The Seventh Secret," Lilly Hunt, Northpoint Christian School, Southaven, MS
- Second Place: "The Cat You Named Remy," Zane Austill, SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC
Nonfiction
- First Place: "PEEL," Kelley Liu, Troy High School, Troy, MI
- Second Place: "Ruth," Sophie Paquette, Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, MI
- Third Place: "Bingo," Katherine Chou, Hamilton High School, Chandler, AZ
2016–2017 Winners
Poetry
- First Place: "Necessary Roughness / Public Enemy No. 1 / Seoul is singing now," Christina Im, Sunset High School, Portland, OR
- Second Place: "Anaerobic / Kintsugi / Lake-Effect Snow," Steven Chung, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA
Fiction
- First Place: "Souvenirs," Catherine Wang, Chinese International School, Hong Kong
- Second Place: "House of God," Jacqueline He, The Harker School, San Jose, CA
Nonfiction
- First Place: "Watermelon Seeds," Chaeyeon (Annika) Kim, Dwight Engelewood School, NJ
- Second Place: "A Trip to Home Depot," Carlos Orozco, Sage Hill School, Newport Coast, CA
2015–2016 Winners
Poetry
- First Place: "What Made Me / Night Fishing / Dilutions," Letitia Chan, Milton Academy, Milton, MA
- Second Place: "Nanjing Road / Autumn / Glass Familia," Helli Fang, Walnut Hill School, Natick, MA
Fiction
- First Place: "Reddi-Wip," Walker Caplan, The Lakeside School, Seattle, WA
- Second Place: "Momma Drove Like a Man," Ella Zalon, Oakland School for the Arts, Oakland, CA
Nonfiction
- First Place: "Of Perfumes," Addie Glickstein, East High School, Denver, CO
- Second Place: "Hair," Luisa Healey, Hunter College High School, New York, NY
2014–2015 Winners
Poetry
- First Place: "Ebola in Dallas / At Thurgood Marshall / When My Parents Go Out I Eat Breakfast For Dinner and Pee With the Door Open," Rachel Calnek-Sugin, Hunter College High School, New York, NY
- Second Place: "Ling hoards fake eyelashes / Ling traces X's on her collarbone / Ling takes off her left hand wedding ring before she sleeps," Carissa Chen, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
Fiction
- Second Place: "Mansions," Sophia Gyarmathy, Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago, IL
Nonfiction
- First place: "Motherland," Jessica Li, Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ
- Second Place: "Driving Lessons From My Brother," Maryam Ahmad, Emma Willard School, Troy, NY