2018 Tarkington Prize
The 2018 Booth Tarkington Prize for Young Writers –
Special Guest Judge Annie Sullivan
We are pleased to announce the 2018 Winners and Runners-up of the Booth Tarkington Prize for Young Writers! We had many outstanding entries, and are so impressed by these talented young writers!
Elementary Fiction
“The Colors of My Heart” – Lucy Brown, Winner
Honorable Mentions:
An excerpt from The Adventures of Savanna Rivers – Hannah Vaught
“Bob’s Adventures – The New House” – Will Chambley
“A Family Story” – Lily Goodson
Elementary Poetry
“At the Zoo” – Prudence Peng, Winner
Honorable Mentions:
“If I was a leaf” – Amelia McKenna
“Animal Poems” – Eleanor Snopek
Middle School Fiction
“Heroes for Hire” – Tannon Jaye Rogers, Winner
Honorable Mentions:
“Mountain’s Edge” – Seth Purvis
“Magic” – Gibson Womersley
“Challenger Revenge” – Leo Rubchinsky
Middle School Poetry
3 Poems by Max Habel – Max Habel, Winner
Honorable Mentions:
3 Poems by Eleanor Griffin – Eleanor Griffin
3 Poems by Evelina Rubchinsky – Evelina Rubchinsky
“The Portal” – Dean Snopek
High School Fiction
Fiction by Tobi Avey – Tobi Avey, Winner
Honorable Mentions:
“My Name” – Sophia Freehauf
“Invisible Constellations” – Xandra Sky
High School Poetry
“Picture Book” – Xandra Sky, Winner
Honorable Mention:
“Amygdala” – Sophia Freehauf
About Our Judge
A 2012 graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Butler, we chose Annie as our 2018 Special Guest Judge to celebrate the debut of her YA novel A Touch of Gold (Blink Publishing, 2018) available on Amazon and other major booksellers.
Courtesy of her website:
“Annie Sullivan is a Young Adult author from Indianapolis, Indiana. Her work has been featured in Curly Red Stories and Punchnels. She loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, and traveling and exploring new cultures. When she’s not off on her own adventures, she’s teaching classes at the Indiana Writers Center and working as the Copy Specialist at John Wiley and Sons, Inc. publishing company, having also worked there in Editorial and Publicity roles. You can follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram (@annsulliva).”
Praise for A Touch of Gold:
‘A dazzling retelling full of adventure with a dash of betrayal, A Touch of Gold will grab your heart and not let go.’ (Brenda Drake, New York Times bestselling author)
‘This debut holds no surprises, but fans of reimagined fairy tales may find Kora’s maritime adventures, and her hopeful romance with a young man also touched by a curse, a diverting addition to the genre.’ — Carolyn Kelly XXX (Booklist)
‘The writing in A TOUCH OF GOLD is phenomenal. It’s fast-paced in all the right places with nonstop action, unbelievable adventure and fantastic magic that keeps readers wanting more.’ (TeenReads.com)