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2011 Children's/Young Adult Writing Winners

Writer's Digest would like to congratulate the 100 Children's/Young Adult Writing winners of the 80th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition!

Writer's Digest would like to congratulate the 100 Children's/Young Adult Writing winners of the 80th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition!

First Place Winner:

Heather Smith Meloche
Rochester Hills MI

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The Top 100

Heather Smith Meloche
Rochester Hills MI Tara Binetti
Brookline MA Jessica Scott
harker heights TX Heather Moore
Lehi UT Nancy Vogl
Traverse City MI Sally Norton
Granger IN Mathilda Wheeler
Bellingham WA Judy DaPolito
West Carrollton OH Linda Gridley Lane
Swanzey NH Dana Cleveland Konop
Canton GA Pauline Youd
Modesto CA Kathy McKenzie-Runk
Pompano Beach FL Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson
New Fairfield CT Meghan A. Kenworthy
Marana AZ A. J. Miner
Carol Stream IL Michael Risden
Richardson TX James D. Shelby
Oroville CA Alisha Clayson
Warsaw IN Kelly Whiteside
Montclair NJ Renee Davison
Saint Augustine FL Nancy Kotkin
Secane PA Gretchen Bassier
Casco MI Kristin Lenz
Royal Oak MI DL Erickson
Granite Bay CA Dana Cleveland Konop
Canton GA Susan Westley
Naples FL Elizabeth Varadan
Sacramento CA JR Parsons
Moreno Valley CA S.W. Godenir
Winnipeg MB Ron Teachworth
Rochester Hills MI Rollin Jewett
Raleigh NC Angela K. Lawlor
Clayton NC Peggy McKee Barnhill
Juneau AK KATHERINE THU-HIEN PHAM
CENTREVILLE VA Eileen C. Cella
New Bern NC Ellen L. Ramsey
Downingtown PA Patricia Moore
Midlothian IL Jimmy R. Martin
Lewisville TX Jan Fenimore
Rio Rancho NM Linda Dimmer
Clarkston MI Deborah Courtney
Jacksonville Beach FL Kenda Henthorn
Chantilly VA Julie Fletcher
Ottawa ON Yvette Cowe
Hamilton ON Karen Schulz
Stillwater MN Julie Fletcher
Ottawa ON Angela D. King
Burr Oak MI Amber Seabolt
Fort Valley GA Nelson Adrian Blish
Rochester NY Mindy Alyse Weiss
Delray Beach FL

GERALD WITUCKI
MIDLAND MI Margery Peterson
San Francisco CA Kim Ventrella
Naryn City Star Blossom Goddess
Nyack NY Jessica Gregg
Baltimore MD Vicki Orians
Findlay OH Susan A. Slack
San Antonio TX William Doonan
Sacramento CA Ron Teachworth
Rochester Hills MI Melanie A. Balfour
Heywood Orinda CA Paula Shepard
Columbia CT Donna Yarbrough
Gandy Tyler TX Robert A. Kurtz
Fresno CA Janice Levy
Merrick NY Sarah Hernandez
Bloomingdale IL Barbara Blanks
Garland TX Dana Cleveland Konop
Canton GA Sherry Jensen
Thousand Oaks CA Sherri Winston
Orlando FL J.B.Homburg
Yucca Valley CA Elizabeth Y. Porter
Eminence MO George Stephenson
Aztec NM Demet Divaroren Melbourne
VICTORIA Other Rollin Jewett
Raleigh NC Dana Cleveland Konop
Canton GA Doug Wolven
Whittier CA Carla J. Trabert
Columbia City IN Mark H.Newhouse
Lady Lake FL Veronica Rundell
Schaumburg IL Wendy Barton
Newport Beach CA Julie Cotton
Harris MN Mindy Alyse Weiss
Delray Beach FL Jessica Saigh
St. Louis MO Genevieve Petrillo
Bloomfield NJ Susan Westley
Naples FL Cathy Collinson
Bradford ON Verna Safran
Sarasota FL Ann C. Averill
Westhampton MA Mary Hudak
Hilop HI Julia V. Ashley
Madison, MS 39110 MS Nicole Green
Tappahannock VA Deborah Ramos
Santee CA Jessica Saigh
St. Louis MO Joan Newman
Capitola CA Frank Yates
Stayton OR Natasha Clark
Millry AL Roxanne Dent
Haverhill MA Barbara J. Behm
Mequon WI Bart Oxley
Belmont CA Neal Levin
Bloomfield Hills MI

Didn't quite make the cut? Try one of our Children's/YA Writing products to help prepare you for next year!

How to Portray Time and Memory in Stories, by Anita Felicelli

How to Portray Time and Memory in Stories

Author Anita Felicelli explains her process for portraying time and memory in stories, including examples from other authors.

online prompt 12:3

Listening In

Every writer needs a little inspiration once in a while. For today's prompt, start your story with someone listening in on someone else's conversation.

Pip Drysdale: On Failure as Inspiration

Pip Drysdale: On Failure as Inspiration

In this interview, bestselling author Pip Drysdale discusses how her own experience with writer’s block helped inspire her new thriller novel, The Close-Up.

Unearthing the UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts, by Zoje Stage

Unearthing the UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts

Author Zoje Stage shares her experience of finding publication for a passion project that many loved but didn't know how to market—and how the results blew her away.

From Script

The Manipulation of Stories and Specificity of Character (From Script)

In this week’s roundup from Script magazine, Alison Schapker talks about the development and adaptation process, character development, and more.

Shannon Messenger: Trust Your Story

Shannon Messenger: Trust Your Story

In this interview, author Shannon Messenger discusses writing an in-between book with her new middle-grade novel, Unraveled.

5 Tips for Creating Character Voice Readers Will Love, by Tracy Clark

5 Tips for Creating Character Voice Readers Will Love

Award-winning author Tracy Clark shares her top five tips for creating character voice that will keep readers engaged throughout your stories.

Write in Italy With Writer’s Digest!

Join Writer's Digest in Italy in 2025

Writer's Digest is heading to Italy in 2025, and we want you to join us—plus more from Writer's Digest!

A Conversation With Callan Wink on Writing and Selling Personal Essays (Killer Writers), by Clay Stafford

A Conversation With Callan Wink on Writing and Selling Personal Essays (Killer Writers)

Clay Stafford has a conversation with author Callan Wink on writing and selling personal essays, including how he approaches opening sentences, the importance of a specific focus for his personal essays, handling the submission process, and more.