Fiction: Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-6
Curtis Becker is a teacher, editor, and publisher living in Topeka, KS. His work has appeared in anthologies, literary journals, and magazines. He has presented on writing and teaching at academic conferences and to small groups. Becker’s book, He Watched and Took Note, was released in 2018. An educator for over fifteen years, Becker currently teaches at Holton Middle School in Holton, KS. He sponsors the yearbook and coaches scholars bowl at HMS. Additionally, he coaches debate and forensics at Holton High School. Becker earned a Bachelors and Masters in English and Creative Writing and holds professional licensure in Kansas, highly qualified in English Language Arts and Speech Communications.
FICTION: GRADES 3-4
1st A Beautiful Day, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
2nd Chinese Checkers, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
3rd Halloween Maze, Julia Z. Jiao, Member District 1
FICTION: GRADES 5-6
1st Fields of Blue, Laurel Stancil, Member District 2
2nd Victor Frankenstein, Adain Smith
3rd An Amazing Day, Adain Smith
Honorable Mention: Freedom’s Call, Addison Buck
Honorable Mention: The Distinguished Fire, Avery Cao
Honorable Mention: The Haunted Hotel, Eli Sun
Fiction: Grades 7-8 and Grades 9-12
Jared Vaughn is the author and publisher of the acclaimed novels The Longest Time, Another Time, and the upcoming Lost in Time. His company, Time Honored Productions, has also published the Free Time Tales anthology series, Shoshanna Aaliyah and Raymond Burrows’ smash hit children’s book Tobias’ Travels, Lynn Main’s Zombie Waltz Trilogy, and Karis Ens’s Piano Boy series and A Girl and Her Cat. Dannielle Byard, Izzy Dorner, Sarah Mason, J.S. Spencer, Jay Sylvester, and Makenzi Wigner are also members of the THP team, each providing talents in writing, art, acting, music, and award-winning cosplay. The team can be found at many midwestern events dressed as a variety of your favorite sci-fi and comedy characters. Along with Shoshanna, Karis, and Lynn, Jared is also an active member of the Kansas Authors Club and is a frequent event panelist and workshop speaker. His next big project will be adapting The Longest Time into a TV series.
FICTION: GRADES 7-8
1st Another Day Infinity, Jethro Tang
2nd Insomnia, Ariel Li
3rd The Sound of it All, Annabelle Hansard
Honorable Mention: The Fairy Who Couldn’t Fly, Madeline Male
FICTION: GRADES 9-12
1st Ovum, Isobel Li