Mythic Fiction Writing Contest Winners

teen tween writing contest group shot

Throughout April, the Youth Services Department accepted submissions for a unique writing contest for tweens and teens. The contest’s theme was “mythic fiction,” in conjunction with the library’s NEA Big Read Grant featuring the novel Circe by Madeline Miller.

Library staff member Elizabeth May coordinated the contest, entered by ten tweens and three teens. May offered a workshop in March to help participants prepare for the contest. The teen entries were all retellings of classic Greek and Norse mythology, all with strong female characters. The tween entries took a more general approach of being mythology-inspired or featuring a mythic creature.

Library staff, The Peters Township Library Foundation members, and celebrity judges reviewed all the entries based on three criteria: creativity, technique, and theme. 

Over 50 people attended a reception on Thursday, May 4, at the library to announce the winners. Each tween and teen who participated were given a certificate of participation. The top two winners in each category for tweens and teens did a reading of their entries for their families and friends. Both runners-up and grand prize winners received prizes. May plans to hold another themed writing contest next year to encourage the craft of writing.

Select the writer’s name to read their entry.  

The winners included:

Tweens:

Grand-prize winner: Dora Liu

Runner-up: Claire Heller

Teens:

Grand-prize winner: Hannah Cataneo

Runner-up: Hannah Crnkovich

Additional writers included:

Andrew Bricker
Alissa Diraimondo
Ashley Hafenbrack
Zachary Hathaway

Jo Myers
Thomas Oxenreiter

Alaina Petrovich