Young Writers Competition

The Bennington Young Writers Competition has ended. First- and second-place winning submissions in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction are posted below. We will begin accepting submissions for next year's competition in the fall. Thank you for your interest and support of the Young Writers Competition.

The Bennington Young Writers Competition was established in 1999 to encourage a love of reading and writing among high school students. Bennington College has a rich literary tradition: Among its community of writers are W.H. Auden, Ben Belitt, Kenneth Burke, Kiran Desai '93, Bret Easton Ellis '86, Wallace Fowlie, John Gardner, Donald Hall, Amy Hempel, Stanley Kunitz, Jonathan Lethem '86, Bernard Malamud, Howard Nemerov, Kathleen Norris '69, Mary Oliver, Michael Pollan '76, Theodore Roethke, Donna Tartt '86, and Alec Wilkinson '74.

Each year, Bennington invites students in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade to submit their original writing for the competition. First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $500; second-place winners receive $250. The annual deadline is November 1, and students may submit one of the following:

• Poetry (a group of three poems)
• Fiction (a short story or one-act play),
• Nonfiction (a personal or academic essay)

Last year, more than 2,300 students submitted poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to the Young Writers Competition. Entries were judged by current Bennington students and literature faculty members. We congratulate all entrants on their extraordinary submissions, and are pleased to share past winning entries.

2011-2012 Winners

Poetry

• First Place, Kamry Goodwin, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC
• Second Place, Elizabeth Bennett, Milton Academy, Milton, MA

Fiction

• First Place, Karintha Lowe, Milton Academy, Milton, MA
• Second Place, Scarlett McCarthy, Idyllwild School Of Music/Arts, Idyllwild, CA

Nonfiction

• First Place, Anna Pittman, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC
• Second Place, Madeleine Wattenbarger, Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia, PA

2010-2011 Winners

Poetry

• First Place, Victoria Ford, SC Governor's School for the Art and Humanities, Greenville, SC
• Second Place, Andi Pardee, The Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC

Fiction

• First Place, Alexandra Lubman, Bard High School Early College, New York, NY
• Second Place, Alexandra Servaes, Academy of the Holy Cross, Kensington, MD

Nonfiction

• First Place, Kaitlyn Linsley, Home School, Mason, MI
• Second Place, Dalia Wolfson, Hunter College High School, New York, NY

2009-2010 Winners

Poetry

• First Place, Caroline Bayne, The Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC
• Second Place, Shon Arieh-Lerer, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY

Fiction

• First Place, Mackenzie Allen, Warren Hills Regional High School, Washington, NJ
• Second Place, Nora Moncada, Bard High School Early College, New York, NY

Nonfiction

• First Place, Graham Duff, Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, RI
• Second Place, Caitlin Owsley, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL