KET is pleased to announce the winners of its 2017 Young Writers Contest. The annual contest encourages creative expression and literacy development, by inviting students in kindergarten through eighth grade to submit original illustrated stories, short stories and poetry.
This year, KET received more than 900 submissions, representing more than 160 schools.
“KET congratulates every student who submitted an entry into our Young Writers Contest, said Tonya Crum, KET’s senior director of education. “Our team – and our guest judges – were impressed by the creativity and talent evident in the stories and poems we received.”
The top three winners in each grade are listed below. Full-color versions of the winning K-3rd grade illustrated stories and 4th-8th grade short story/poetry entries are available online.
Poetry contest entries were judged by Crystal Wilkinson, winner of the 2016 Earnest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence and a writing instructor at Berea College and Spalding University; Frank X Walker, former poet laureate of Kentucky, University of Kentucky writing instructor and co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets; and award-winning poet and novelist Diane Gilliam of Ohio, whose works have been influenced by her family’s roots in the coal communities of Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia.
Kindergarten
1st place: Ibraheem Gauhar, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, Smash Blast
2nd place: Jack Reinecke, Cold Spring, Ky., Cline Elementary, The House Book
3rd place: Ryan Maya, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, Griff the Ostrich
First Grade
1st place: Huda Hasnain, Goshen, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, Huda’s Adventure to the Red Woods
2nd place: Mustafa Sattaur, Louisville, Ky., Louisville Collegiate School, The Reading Tiger
3rd place: Lexie Smith, Drakesboro, Ky., Muhlenberg South Elementary, Let’s Work Together
Second Grade
1st place: Zaineb Elmerse, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, The First Dinosaur Firefighter
2nd place: Ayat Amrozia, Crestwood, Ky., Kenwood Station Elementary, Courage
3rd place: Rosie Katz, Lexington, Ky., Maxwell Elementary, The Story of How I Met Kailash Satyarthi
Third Grade
1st place: Hala Saleh, Louisville, Ky., Farmer Elementary, The Syrian Girl
2nd place: Lucy Donohue, Louisville, Ky., St. Agnes School, Do Frogs Like Cupcakes
3rd place: Nethra Gopalakrishnan, Middleton, Wis., Sunset Ridge Elementary, Is Change GOOD?
Fourth Grade
1st place: Abby Gentner, Louisville, Ky., Holy Trinity Parish School, The Puppy
2nd place: Viviana Amorim, Bowling Green, Ky., Lost River Elementary, How Wolf Earned His Howl
3rd place: Fatima Hashmi, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, Cubecraftia’s Duel
Fifth Grade
1st place: Kamryn Hahn, Danville, Ky., Woodlawn Elementary School, Lost Girl
2nd place: Kristin Novak, Willisburg, Ky., Homeschool, The Pumpkin Seed Tale
3rd place: Brady Hargett, Brookesville, Ky., Taylor Elementary, Best Day Ever
Sixth Grade
1st place: Katelynn Neace, Wurtland, Ky., Wurtland Middle School, Where I’m From
2nd place: Ethan Huff, Wurtland, Ky., Wurtland Middle School, Where I’m From
3rd place: Isabella Sanchez, Louisville, Ky., Ramsey Middle School, Night Time Food
Seventh Grade
1st place: Carlie Griffith, Paducah, Ky., Lone Oak Middle Schoool, One Memory at a Time
2nd place: Haley Thacker, Brodhead, Ky., Rockcastle County Middle School, Blue
3rd place: Tyler Stevenson, Mt. Washington, Ky., Mt. Washington Middle School, The Girl with the Baking Soda
Eighth Grade
1st place: Hannah Neeley, Berea, Ky., Rockcastle County Middle School, Hard Lines and Scars
2nd place: Adelina Gonzalez, Nicholasville, Ky., East Jessamine Middle School, Ode to the Book Never Read
3rd place: Alyssa Keeling, Bardstown, Ky., Bluegrass Christian Academy, Good Hearted Men