The Carson McCullers Literary Awards

Brick Road Greear Prize for Poetry

1st Place: Lily Wilson, “Nightmares of the Exuviae,” Alabama SoFA
2nd Place: Elizabeth “Eddie” Young, “A Xenobiologist Finds God,” Hallie Turner Private School
3rd Place: Gene Yoon, “The Mudbug’s Burrow,” Columbus HS

Dr. Joseph Francavilla Prize for Fiction

1st Place: Gene Yoon, “Anchor of Hope,” Columbus HS
2nd Place: Cole Hearted, “Dumpster Fire,” Rainey-McCullers SotA
3rd Place: Angel Cotte, “The Grafting,” William H. Shaw HS

Melissa Pritchard Schley and Dr. Philip Schley Prize for Creative Nonfiction

1st place: Gene Yoon, “Bung-Eo-Ppang: Sounding Like Me,” Columbus HS
2nd Place: Emmanuela Ejoga, “Operation AA: Academic Attack,” North Cobb HS
3rd Place: Mickie Cerda, “How I Found Theatre,” Rainey-McCullers SotA

Susan Schley Gristina Prize for Expository Essay

1st Place: Gene Yoon, “The Legacy of Korean Picture Brides,” Columbus HS
2nd Place: Daniel Troy, “China’s Guanxi Culture and its Influence to a Global Superpower Status,” Auburn HS
3rd Place: S. Maysa Johnson, “Lessons Learned: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study,” Columbus HS

Dr. Jim Owen Prize for Screenwriting

1st Place: JG, “Eternity at Sea,” Central HS
2nd Place: Phaedra Temmis, “My Best Friend and Dead Celebrities from the 90s,” Columbus HS
3rd Place: Jordan Strobel, “The Hermit,” Gwinnett Online Campus

Andrew Ruhs Prize for Playwriting

1st Place: Jade Magee, “The Thing,” Northview HS
2nd Place: Wil, “A Trip to the Future,” Rainey-McCullers SotA
3rd Place: Lucien Jervis, “The Supernatural Seekers Club,” Rainey-McCullers SotA

Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Poetry

1st Place: Cynthia Short, “Piercing”
2nd Place: Nadia Jacobs, “3/27”
3rd Place: London Van Every, “Best Friends”

Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Fiction

1st Place: Sal Fleischer, “March to the Sea”
2nd Place: Molly Thomas, “Screaming Beautiful Things”
3rd Place: Samira Hibbler, “Everything Good Comes to an End”

Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Creative Nonfiction

1st Place: Gianna Cabrera, “All the Love Under the Sun”
2nd Place: Melanie Miller, “Land of the Sown Salt”
3rd Place: K.D. Buckner, “My Eyes Were Watching God: An Essay Inspired by Joan Didion’s The White Album”

Dr. Daniel William Ross Prize for Expository Essay

1st Place: Sal Fleischer, “The Panopticon of Gender: A New Foucauldian Critique of ‘I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter’”
2nd Place: Molly Thomas, “God is a Woman: The Feminine in Anne Bradstreet’s Poetry”
3rd Place: Melanie Miller, “Honeysuckles Embracing the Thorns: Bronte Sisters’ Protofeminism”

Anbessita Productions, Inc., Prize for Screenwriting

1st Place: Starr, “Change My Mind”
2nd Place: Christina Ricks, “Back to You”
3rd Place: Guérin Asante, “Onion”

Dr. Barbara J. Hunt Prize for Playwriting

1st Place: D’Miya Richburg, “Outlived”
2nd Place: London Van Every, “The Naming of the Dolls”
3rd Place: Dvn Dsn, “The Hell that is Human Interaction”

Brick Road Greear Prize for Poetry:

1st Place: Sujana Vangala, “Coin Flip,” Northview HS
2nd Place: Mark Harris, “The Choir,” Heritage HS
3rd Place: Oluwatumilara Owolabi, “Oh Mama,” Mount Pisgah Christian

Dr. Joseph Francavilla Prize for Fiction:

1st Place: Ivie Kirby, “Adoring and Ignoring,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
2nd Place: Sujana Vangala, “Your Mother Was a Girl Once,“ Northview HS
3rd Place: Eva J. Hammonds, “Mirum: The Volcano,” Columbus HS

Dr. Jim Owen Prize for Creative Nonfiction:

1st Place: Benjamin Badgett, “Brothers,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
2nd Place: Peyton McRae, “This Is My Neighborhood,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
3rd Place: Alexandra Boyd, “Journey Paved With Imagination,” Heritage HS

Susan Schley Gristina Prize for Expository Essay:

1st Place: Gene Yoon, “The Ann Arbor Black English Case Revisited,” Columbus HS
2nd Place: Princess (Ainani) Graham, “Interracial Relationships in 19th-20th Century South,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
3rd Place: Mark Harris, “The increased Need for LGBTQ Support in Schools,” Heritage HS

High School Prize for Screenwriting:

1st Place: Mickie Cerda, “The origins of Jimmy,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
2nd Place: Kadyn Moore, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” Heritage HS
3rd Place: Lily Choy “The Future is a Terrible Place,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts

Andrew Ruhs Prize for Playwriting:

1st Place: Kadyn Moore, “Hesperia,” Heritage HS
2nd Place: Mariella (Mickie) Cerda, “Untitled Ghost Monologue,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
3rd Place: Ella Jervis “Sock Puppet Slasher,” Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts

Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Poetry:

1st Place: Ana Dinis Perez, “Upside Down”
2nd Place: Jonathan Stringfellow, “In Love”
3rd Place: Youbin Park, “the Beauty [and] the Beast”

Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Fiction:

1st Place: Dallas Curry, “Yearly Traditions”
2nd Place: Theo Pound, “The Obelisk Without a Story At the Bottom of the Crimson Manor”
3rd Place: Youbin Park, “Honeyl”

Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Creative Nonfiction:

1st Place: Melanie Miller, “Might as Well”
2nd Place: Youbin Park, “Coffee Pot”
3rd Place: Les Anderson, “Control”

Dr. Daniel William Ross Prize for Expository Essay:

1st Place: Melanie Miller, “Ophelia: A Secret Feminist”
2nd Place: Cynthia Short, “The Black Girl As A Vehicle for Poetry”
3rd place: Theo Pound, “The Good, The Bad, and The Storytellers”

Anbessita Productions, Inc., Prize for Screenwriting:

1st Place: Dallas Curry, “Ammonia”
2nd Place: Les Anderson, “Fall from Grace”
3rd Place: Alexis Barron, “Coffee House”

Dr. Barbara J. Hunt Prize for Playwriting:

1st Place: Dallas Curry, “The Infinite Coffee Theorem”
2nd Place: Les Anderson, “Jackpot”
3rd Place: Theo Pound, “The Death of Jerry Farber, or the Jerry Farber Story”

HS Poetry Winners:

1st Place: “The Teenage Fallacy,” by Sujana Vangala, Northview HS
2nd Place: “Pretty People,” by Kadyn Moore, Heritage HS
3rd Place: “ebony sun,” by Kyra Richardson, Alabama School of Fine Arts

HS Fiction Winners:

1st Place: "My Soundtrack,” by Madison Hoar, Alabama School of Fine Arts
2nd Place: “The Unexplored 95%,” by Izzy Cox, Alabama School of Fine Arts
3rd Place: “The Words of the Devil” by Ella Jervis, Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts

HS Nonfiction Winners:

1st Place: "Satsuma," by Joseph Barns, LAMP High School
2nd Place: "Memory Bread," by Sarah Phillis, Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
3rd Place: "Mitosis," by Izzy Cox, Alabama School of Fine Arts

HS Playwriting Winners:

1st Place: "A Play in Progress," by Jocelyn Peebles, Harris County High School
2nd Place: "Gay Polyamorous Cowboys," by Ella Jervis, Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts
3rd Place: "Lorelei," by Sarah Phillis, Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts

HS Screenwriting Winners:

1st Place: “Emily,” by Dylan Black, Harrison HS
2nd Place: “Seen,” by Elizabeth Webb, Heritage HS
3rd Place: “Look Away,” by Khayla Truitt, Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts

HS Expository Essay Winners:

1st Place: "Thoughts on Healthcare," by Izzy Cox, Alabama School of Fine Arts
2nd Place: "The Crucible: How Fear Perpetuates Suffering in a Community," by Emma Delaney, Heritage High School
3rd Place: "Gone but NEVER Forgotten," by Samuel Mansi, Heritage High School

CSU Poetry Winners: Sara Ayres Jordan Prize

1st Place: "Neville to Percival," by Bailey Parker
2nd Place: "And You Fall in Love With Them Both," by Sidney DuCleroir
3rd Place: "Fear," by Youbin Park

CSU Fiction Winners: Sara Ayres Jordan Prize

1st Place: "Out By the Tracks," by Zagreus Rivers
2nd Place: "Sir Lancelot and the Red Villa of Cortenova," by Jessica DeMarco-Jacobson
3rd Place: "Purple Prose and Other Clichés," by Bailey Parker

CSU Nonfiction Winners: Sara Ayres Jordan Prize

1st Place: "Snapshots of a Silent Composer," by Ana Dinis Perez
2nd Place: "Freedom From Speech," by Youbin Park
3rd Place: "Death of a Small Town and the Memories They Hold," by Kailey Katzfey

CSU Screenwriting Winners:

1st Place: "A Father's Story," by Dallas Curry
2nd Place: "The Games We Play," by Latisha Spikes-Brown
3rd place: "Room for Two," by Donni "Les" Anderson

CSU Playwriting Winners:

1st Place: "Dad's Not Dead," by Maja Nearing
2nd Place: "The Call," by Kiera King
3rd Place: "My Sin To Hide," by Christina Ricks

CSU Expository Essay Winners:

1st Place: "Text without Context:” Jessard Deal’s Literary Allusions in Louis Owens’ The Sharpest Sight, by Maja Nearing
2nd Place: "Binaries, Identity, Community, and Bridging the Gap," by Melanie Miller
3rd Place: "Gawain Reborn," by Sidney Ducleroir

High School Poetry: Brick Road Greear Prize for Poetry

First Place: Gabrielle DeWeese, “Taurean Fathoms,” Alan C. Pope High School
Second Place: Rebekah E. Smith, “I am a Columbus Author,” Rainey McCullers School of the Arts
Third Place: Sydney Womack, “Aesthete,” Columbus High School

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High School Fiction: Dr. Joseph Francavilla Prize for Fiction

First Place: Macy Cardwell, “The Song We Were,” Homeschool
Second Place: Charlotte Young, “The Invaders,” Columbus High School
Third Place: Jasmine Drawdy, “697 Miles,” Rainey McCullers School of the Arts

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High School Creative Nonfiction: Melissa Pritchard Schley and Dr. Philip Schley Prize

First Place: Andrew Song, "Long Way Home," Heritage High School
Second Place: Macy Cardwell, "I Talk to My Mother's Best Friend," Homeschool
Third Place: Emily Woody, “The Reality of Negativity," Heritage High School

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High School Expository Essay: Susan Schley Gristina Prize for Expository Essay

First Place: Andrew Song, “Treasures of Sierra Madre: A Critique of Laissez-Faire,” Heritage High School
Second Place: Bobby Livingston, “How Should Thomas Jefferson be Commemorated in the 21st Century?”Columbus High School
Third Place: Khayla Truitt, “AAVE vs ‘Internet Slang’: Muzzling Black Voices,” Rainey McCullers School of the Arts

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High School Screenwriting:

First Place: Brynn Dean, "Becoming the Department Head," Heritage High School
Second Place: Beth Webb, "The Rose," Heritage High School
Third Place: Ivie Kirby, "Bats!" Rainey McCullers School of the Arts

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High School Playwriting:

First Place: Andrew Song “Blackjack,” Heritage High School
Second Place: Sarah Phillis, “Squirrels...” Rainey McCullers School of the Arts

CSU Poetry: Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Poetry

First Place: Sidney Ducleroir, “Secrete/Secret”
Second Place: Jessica DeMarco-Jacobson, “From Lavinia to Creusa”
Third Place: Adrienne Baxter-McNeil, “Chocolate”

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CSU Fiction: Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Fiction

First Place: Gavin Moss, "Northern Lights"
Second Place: Jeffrey J Maynard, "Peripheral"
Third Place: Kiara Herron, "Shallow"

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CSU Creative Nonfiction: Sara Ayres Jordan Prize for Creative Nonfiction

First Place: Vivian Duncan, “Oxford Pre-Pandemic”
Second Place: Hayley Maine, “I Don't Cry at Funerals”
Third Place: Anayia Cook, “The (re) Creation of Joe”

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CSU Expository Essay: Naartjie Multimedia Prize in Expository Essay

First Place: Anayia Cook, “Gandalf the White in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings”
Second Place: Cynthia Short, “Exposed: Media and Opinion”
Third Place: Kayla Pipkins, “Her Philosophy”

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CSU Screenwriting:

First Place: Dallas Curry, “Projects”
Second Place: Donni "Les" Anderson, “Little Victories”
Third Place: Jeffery J Maynard, “Sunken Ship”

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CSU Playwriting: Dr. Barbara Hunt Prize in Playwriting

First Place: Theodore Pound, “Elmer and Paul
Second Place: Katherine Lovern, “Phoenix”
Third Place: Dallas Curry, “Tone Deaf”