Dear Entrant,

We were thrilled to receive a great number of entries to the CALS/CCR “Family” Writing Contest. The judges and I appreciate very much your interest in the contest and the opportunity to read your work. Final decisions were extremely difficult to arrive at, the judges report, a testament to the overall quality of the entries. Without further ado, here are the winners:

“Family” Writing Contest Winners:

Grand Prize Winner: Michelle K. Baker, Penn State Ph. D. candidate in the College of Communications, for “Wednesdays at the Q-Tip Diner”

Best Short Nonfiction: Lucy Green, Penn State MFA student, for “The Rule of Magic”

Best Short Fiction:      Ben DeMeter, Penn State senior, for “Dig”

Honorable Mention: V. Jo Hsu, Penn State MFA student, for “Ghost Money”

Best Parody: Steven Deutsch, Centre County resident, for “Half-Broke Schwinns”

Best under-18 entry: a tie, between Margaret Rothrock, Centre County resident age 13, for “True Story” and Katrina A. Verlinde, Centre County resident age 12, for “The Blizzard Family”