A Bennington Legacy

Seven Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, the youngest Man Booker Prize winner, a MacArthur “Genius,” countless New York Times bestsellers, and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people—this is Bennington’s literary legacy.

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Teacher-Practitioner

Bennington’s literature faculty is comprised of renowned novelists, nonfiction writers, essayists, poets, and playwrights. They are National Endowment for the Arts fellows, Fulbright fellows, and PEN Award finalists, and have been published in The New Yorker, Slate, The Paris Review, Yale Review, Tin House, The Literary Review, Chicago Review, Best American Short Stories, and The O. Henry Award Winners, among others.

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Best of the Best

The work of our faculty is among the best creative work being published today. But don’t take our word for it. Each year, prestigious anthologies such as the The Best American series, The Pushcart Prize collection, and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories compile the finest fiction, non-fiction, and poetry published from the previous year. Rare is the year when the Writing Seminars faculty isn’t represented in their pages. How rare, you ask? Take a tally in the following slideshow.

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Young Writers Competition

For more information about the Young Writers and other programs at Bennington College, please contact the Admissions Office at 800-833-6845.

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 the next competition in the fall. Thank you for your interest and support of the Young Writers Competition.

Bennington College—whose literary legacy includes seven Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, the youngest Man Booker Prize winner, a MacArthur “Genius,” countless New York Times bestsellers, and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people—invites submissions for its annual Young Writers Awards.

Students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades enter in one of the following categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), or nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). All entries must be original work and sponsored by a high school teacher. Judges include Bennington College faculty and students. First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $500; second-place winners receive $250. The annual competition runs from early September to November 1.

Last year, more than 2,300 students submitted poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to the Young Writers Competition. We congratulate all entrants on their extraordinary submissions, and are pleased to share past winning entries.

2012–2013 Winners

Poetry

First Place, Kathleen Cole, The Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC
Second Place, Zoe Jeka, Severna Park Senior High School, Severna Park, MD

Fiction

First place, Grazie Christie, Carrollton Sacred Heart, Miami, FL
Second Place, Julia Hogan, South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC

Nonfiction

First place, Jonathan Gelernter, ACES Educational Center for the Arts, New Haven, CT
Second Place, Elana Spivack, Northern Valley Regional High School, Demarest, NJ

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