Whitefish High School authors shine in Annual Authors of the Flathead Teen Writing Contest

This spring, high school students across the Flathead Valley threw their words in the ring for the Authors of the Flathead Student Writing Contest, with winners from Whitefish, Bigfork and Linderman schools taking the top spots.

Every year the non-profit organization of “writers helping writers” hosts a contest with cash prizes to encourage teens in their writing ambitions. With categories in Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry, the contest is wide open to interpretation and subject matter. This year’s contest saw entries on themes ranging from romance to addiction and grief, environmental awareness, and everyday family love. The students submit their entries either electronically or through regular mail, and a panel of local professional authors judges the works based on Theme, Creativity, Artistic Merit, Clarity, Spelling and Grammar. Sometimes, as in the professional writing world, if theme, creativity, and artistic merit are especially strong, they can outweigh a few grammar mistakes. 

This year’s entries strove to convey powerful emotional stories, and the judges were impressed with how well some of them succeeded with strength and subtlety. The goal of the contest is to encourage young writers in their aspirations, and reward them for their efforts at a professional, paying level.  

Here are this year’s winners by category:

Fiction 

First Place: “The Sinner” by Felix Solem, Whitefish High School 

Second Place: “The Poet & the Musician”  by Cassidy Krack, Whitefish High School 

Third Place: “Crippled Seven,” by Victoria Meccia, Linderman Education Center

Poetry 

First Place: “Addict,” by Avery Coolidge, Bigfork High School 

Second Place: “Wishes Softly Whisper,” by Nora Ide, Whitefish High School 

Third Place: “I’m 17 Again,” by Keeva Clark, Bigfork High School 

Non Fiction 

First Place: “Dear Society,” by Victoria Meccia, Linderman Education Center 

Second Place: “Protecting Jaws: The Conservation of Sharks,” by Sophie McDermott, Whitefish High School 

The next contest will run in spring of 2025 and is open to all Flathead Valley youth in grades 9-12. Authors of the Flathead also hosts free weekly meetings on Thursday evenings, and a yearly conference in the fall. For more information, visit www.authorsoftheflathead.org.