First of all, a HUGE thanks to all the students, teachers, and schools who participated in this contest. It was an honor for us, SkYAuthors, to read the amazing work of the next generation’s writers. You all blew us away at your talent! Thank you for putting yourselves out there and for sharing with us your beautiful stories.

From Jessie Humphries, Lori M. Lee, Meredith McCardle, Rysa Walker, Chuck Wendig, and myself, we applaud you!


Now, as a refresher, here are the winning categories:

•  One winning school with the most entries (which will win a pack of thirty (30) Kindle Paperwhites).
• One winner for each grade 6-12, which makes 7 total grade winners (who will each receive: One (1) Kindle Paperwhite; One ($20 Amazon Gift Card); and all six (6) of the participating Skyscape’s authors books.
• Two Overall runners up for all grades (who each win One (1) Kindle Paperwhite; One $20 Amazon Gift Card; and all six (6) of the participating Skyscape’s authors books).
• One Overall First Place Winner (prizes listed below)

Without further ado, here are the winners:

School With The Most Entries:

Northwest Technical And Career Academy


6^th grade winner: Mia Ottaviano

School: Woodstown Middle School

Teacher/Mentor: Mrs. Collins

7^th grade winner: Emmeline Song

School: The Avery Coonley School

Teacher/Mentor: Michelle Schaub

8^th grade winner: Juliana Morell:

School: Woodstown Middle School

Teacher/Mentor: Mrs. Jennifer Kelly

 9^th grade winner: Kayla Stuhlmann

School: Basic High School

Teacher/Mentor: Mauseth

 10^th grade winner: Madison Matthews

School: Panther Creek High School

Teacher/Mentor: Daria Johnson

 11^th grade winner: Kelly Litts

School: St Thomas Aquinas High School

Teacher/Mentor: Amy Schaak

 12^th grade winner: Emily Espanol

School: Northwest Career and Technical Academy

Teacher/Mentor: Debbie Olsen/Josh Symmonds

Runners Up:

1. Kai Garrison

School: Coronado High School

Teacher/Mentor: Mr. J. Watkins

2. Emilee Resop

School: Northwest Career and Technical Academy

Teacher/Mentor: Debra Olsen


And for the OVERALL FIRST PLACE WINNER … drumroll please….

Juliana Gessner

School: Ronald Reagan IB High School

Teacher/Mentor: Ms. Weinfurter

Juliana, come on down…

You have won Two (2) Kindle Fires HDX 

(One for yourself and one for your nominated teacher-mentor, Ms. Weinfurter).  

Also if you choose to complete your story/short story, the SkYAuthors will assist in getting the story published. 

Congratulations, Juliana! Your entry totally blew us away. The odds of you winning this contest were less than .01%…and you did it! This is how…

There were four of us in that dank little cell: the doctor, the nurse, the dead man, and myself. The doctor was etching an escape plan in the dust while the nurse looked on with eyes full of practiced admiration. The dead man sat slumped in the corner, his chains rattling ominously. Beneath us the floor rocked and swayed with the swell of the waves, obeying the commands of the never-ending storm. It had been raining for days now. It was like the sky was trying to drown the ocean, and succeeding.

        “Those nasty brutes may look tough,” said the doctor, his voice hoarse and strained, “but they’re poorly organized, and the storm should’ve worn ‘em out by now. If we could just break that lock–” his plan was interrupted by a bone chilling scream from above deck. There was a frantic scramble of stomping boots, followed by shouts, screams, begs for mercy. The ship rocked back and forth with more force than ever before, throwing us around like rag dolls, until–

        Deathly silence.

         I opened my mouth to speak, but it like my words had been stolen. We waited for a sound, any sound to indicate the survival of the pirates who’d captured us.

         Tick… Tick… Tick… Tick…

         My eyes slid to the watch on the dead mans wrist. Its face was shattered and the minute hand was missing. It was the only clock in the room.

Again, thank you to all who participated. 

***All winners must contact Jessie Humphries at jessiehump(at)gmail(dot)com within thirty (30) days, to claim their prize and provide mailing information.***