The annual Fiction Fantastic youth short story contest awards ceremony will take place at 6 p.m., Thursday, May 22, at the Eugene Downtown Library.

The event, organized by Wordcrafters in Eugene, honors 14 young writers from Lane County, whose stories will be published in the 2025 anthology, “Echoes of the Future”.

The contest, in its 12th year, received 90 entries from students across 28 Lane County schools. The stories were judged by 26 volunteers, including writers and educators, in three age categories: grades 3-5, 6-9, and 9-12. Entries from grades K-2 were screened for inclusion in the anthology without going through the judging process.

The winning works include:

  • “The Secret and Magical Garden” by Hazel Rallen, Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School
  • “Roses” by Ivy Olszewski, Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School
  • “The Warm Arctic” by Helen Nunes, Fairfield Elementary School
  • “Land of Fire – The Beginning” by Hunter Penrod, Creslane Elementary School
  • “The Right Turn” by Paige Stutzman, Oaklea Middle School
  • “Triple Dog Dare” by Violet Dunlop, Kennedy Middle School
  • “The Blood Fog” by Summer Rose, Bridge Charter Academy
  • “Wishing For Purple” by Juniper Vold, Cascade Middle School
  • “Strange Boy” by Adrienne White, Cal Young Middle School High School
  • “Sir Gwendolyn the Anxious” by Brianna Bird, Springfield High School “Duty of a Killer” by Michelle Diaz, Homeschool/Independent Study
  • “Ragile Thissideup: A Christmas Tale” by Kathryn Dieterle, South Eugene High School
  • “Superscript” by Ishika Chakraborty, South Eugene High School
  • “Birdsong” by Emmett Coughlan, South Eugene High School

Final placements will be announced at the ceremony.

The awards event is free to attend.

Wordcrafters in Eugene is a nonprofit literary arts organization celebrating over a decade of helping writers find their voice and tell their story. For information, visit https://wordcrafters.org/

AI assisted in writing this news brief. All content is edited by a Lookout Eugene-Springfield staff member prior to publication.