GCWA Writing Contest

Congratulations to the GCWA 2023 Writing Contest Winners:

Fiction:
1st — Brad Burt-Ft. Myers, FL/Ontario, Canada— But He Didn’t
2nd — Patti M. Walsh-Ft. Myers, FL — Ghosts of Clotheslines Past
3rd — Pauline Hayton-Naples, FL — Somewhere in England

Nonfiction:
1st — Pamela Pohlman-Ft. Myers, FL— A Picture of Hell
2nd — Patricia Sheehy-Estero, FL— Searching for Me
3rd — MaryLou Williams-Ft. Myers, FL — Audrey Hepburn and Me

Poetry:
1st — Sandy Dahlhofer-Lake Placid, FL— Snowflake
2nd — Amy Pontius-Ft. Myers, FL/East Fairfield, VT — Moon Dance
3rd — Grace Brendel-Cape Coral, FL — The Land Before This

Youth:
1st —  Eric Zhu-West, Roxbury, MA— Right Hand Raised
2nd — Kurukulasuri ya Fernando-Ft. Myers, FL — Perfect Little Things
3rd — Stormi Thomas-Lake Mary, FL— Secret Miracles

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Ft. Myers Magazine

Read entries from previous winners:
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 20152010 through 2014 |


2022 Winners

Fiction/Children’s Stories (these categories were combined and judged together according to our guidelines, due to the low number of entries in each.
1st — Leah Miller — Terror in December (Children’s Stories)
2nd — Mary Charles — Counterculture ( Fiction)
3rd — Nancy Leake — Susie Spider Looks for a Friend (Children’s Stories)

Nonfiction:
1st — Deborah Burghardt — Dream Your Ink
2nd — Diane Parnell — A Slip of the Scalpel
3rd — Sally Basmajian — The Field

Poetry:
1st — Megan Dalziel — Maritime Muse
2nd — Debbie Watz — Bayou Sunset
3rd — Paul Anthony — Minimum Wage-Brianna

Youth:
1st — Nishini Fernando — Life is for the Living
2nd — Ryan Lee — A Soldier During the Great War
3rd — Keven Lacayo — Death


2021 Winners

Children’s Stories
1st — K.J. (Kathy) Boyd — Too Many Kids
2nd — Mariah Julio — Where is Everything?
3rd — Nancy Leake — Sammy Snail’s Wild Ride
Fiction
1st — Vic Larson — Drafted
2nd — Carol Light — A Tough Nut to Crack
3rd — Pat McAnulty — The White Side of Aurora
Nonfiction
1st — Jeanne Meeks — Ode to Otis
2nd — Geneva Kelly — Ready or Not
3rd — Alina Steele — Mrs. Murphy
Poetry
1st — Jeannette Batko — Critique-Mystique
2nd — Maya Fleischmann — Patience Stillwater’s Sestina
3rd — Teresa Falsani — A Single Dolphin
Youth Category Winners
Poetry — Christopher Kozlowski — Silencing the Star of David
Fiction — Samadhi Salazar — The Mother of All Natures
Nonfiction — Nishini FernandoThe Wicked Wall of Water
Other Youth Category Entries
Poetry
Addisyn Nadwodny — My Feathered Friend
Callie Sousa — Home Connect
Carolina Solomon Sense and Uniform
Claire HongThe Death Lake
Claire Hongghost
Claire Hongdivided
Euelin RienzoOur Patchworked Skeleton
Georgiana MuresanThe Unknown
Jaansi Parsa The Magic of Music
Nishini Fernando Blindfold
Peyton Sidweil Political Climate
Samandhi SalazarNourishment With a Side of Horror
Fiction
Alexis Davis — Shadows of Stonewall Inn
Jonathan HongThe Limousine Driver Saves the Day
Katherine Short The Mirror
Nishini FernandoUnite
Nonfiction
Addisyn Nadwodny Farewell Pearl Bing Bing

2020 Winners!

GCWA contest winners

[L to R] Melissa Panneton, Maya Fleischman, Andrew Conlyn, Nancy Leake, Mary Lou Williams, Christie Zarria

Children’s Stories

1st place — Paper, the Airplane by Lynne Blackburn
2nd place — The Lonely Bear by Andrew Conlyn
3rd place — The Picnic by Nancy Leake

Fiction

1st place — Neighborhood Watch by Maya Fleischmann
2nd place — Conquer Your Fears by Kristen Taylor
3rd place — When the Bough Breaks by Pauline Hayton
Honorable Mention (Youth) — Circus Man by Arnav Adi

Nonfiction:

1st place — Missing Neil by Lorraine McCann
2nd place — The Lesson I Learned in Sister Regina’s Class by Mary Lou Williams
3rd place — Lucy, You’ve Got Some ‘Splaining To Do by Christie Zarria

Poetry:

1st place — The Concert by Melissa Panneton
2nd place — The Downfall of Cousin Leaf by Lynne Blackburn
3rd place — Morning  by J. Bradley Burt

Children’s Stories

1st place — Lola BaJola and The Fly by Laura Marske
2nd place — The Curious Gray Mouse and The Christmas Tree by Martha Jeffers
3rd place — Pixel, the Filthy-Footed Feline by Mariah Julio

Fiction

1st place — Marked For Life by Sandy Dahlhofer
2nd place — Good Night, Have a Nice Sleep by Jan Nieman
3rd place — Pick Me by Wendy Halloren

Nonfiction:

1st place — Where the Action Is by David Aiken
2nd place — Swinging Back to Life by Geneva Kelly
3rd place — The Apartment by Rick Urban

Poetry:

1st place — Hurricane by Sharon Whitehill
2nd place — Caloosahatchee by Gary McLouth
3rd place — The River by Carmine Lombardo


2017 Winners!

Poetry

1st place — When We Came Home by Mary Beth Lundgren
2nd place — Sowing Seeds by Joan Heller Winokur
3rd place — Psyche’s Rhumba by Dan Reed England

Fiction

1st place — So This Guy Walks into a Bar by Judy Marksteiner
2nd place — City Lawyer by Bill Wilson
3rd place — To Name the Name of Your Father by Martin Nakell

Nonfiction:

1st place — China’s Big Balancing Act by Rose Giro
2nd place — Courage With a Small c by Patricia Sheehy
3rd place — The Riverview Melting Pot by Jan Nieman

Children’s Fiction:

1st place — A Day at the Circus by Martha Jeffers


2016 Winners!

Poetry

1st place — “Year End Giving” by Teresa B. Falsani
2nd place — “Acceptance” by Richard H. Fox
3rd place — “Silence” by Lori Izral

Fiction

1st place — “Disappointed” by Jan Nieman
2nd place — “Single Black Roses” by Richard Rimrodt
3rd place — “Crows” by Judy Loose
Honorable Mention — Terry Wright “A Time . . .”

Nonfiction:

1st place — “Life Lessons” by Patricia Sheehy
2nd place — “Teeth” by Judy Loose
3rd place — “Bathing an Elephant is a Big Job” by Gillian Birch


2015 Winners!

Fiction:

First Place – “Billy Hurts” by Jim Marcotte
Second Place – “The Shaman” by Frankie Patman Maguire
Third Place – “Boy with One Shoe” by Richard Rimrodt

Non-fiction:

First Place – “Smoke and Fire” by Eva Romanczak

Poetry:

First Place – “The Final Journey” by Barbara Rohde
Second Place –“It’s a Boy” by Dan Reed England
Third Place – “Thanksgiving” by Joyce Berrian Ferrari

Children’s:

First Place – “Tommy the Leaf” by Nancy Leake

The winners will be published in the Ft. Myers Magazine summer edition.

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