Judge: Writing for Youth
Sarah Moyer is a career educator in Emporia, Kansas who has taught at the elementary school level since 2002. Sarah is an Emporia State University graduate and resides in Emporia with her husband Kerry and their boys Edward and Miles.
Judge: Playwriting
Cate Crosby Grundleger received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in Second and Foreign Language Education. She is currently teaching in the Intensive English Program at Emporia State and First Year Writing at Baruch College in NYC. She enjoys cycling, reading, and exploring with her husband, Adam.
Judge: Memoir & Short Story
Lindsey Bartlett teaches Composition to first year writing students at Emporia State University. Bartlett is an Emporian by choice and considers the Flint Hills region of Kansas her home. She grew up on a dilapidated farmstead in west-central Kansas, and her rural background informs much of her writing. Bartlett has published one poetry collection, Vacant Childhood. Her writing and photography have appeared in Flint Hills Review, 105 Meadowlark Reader, and MidAmerican Fiction and Photography.
Judge: Humor
Born and raised in Barber County, Kansas, Marcia Lawrence has worked as a journalist, photo-finish photographer, stockbroker, editor, corn detasseler, musician, and mom. She is a lifelong scholar of regional history and a passionate researcher. Lawrence is the author of SPIRIT OF THE PRAIRIE: THE HISTORY OF THE MAKING OF THE MEDICINE LODGE INDIAN PEACE TREATY PAGEANT. She's currently researching and writing the biography of Franklin L. Gilson, legendary founder of the Speech and Theatre Department at the Kansas State Normal (now ESU) and author of the play JOHN BARCLAY, based on William Allen White's best seller, A CERTAIN RICH MAN. If all goes according to plan, PROFESSOR OF PAGEANTRY will make its debut in 2022. She lives in Emporia, Kansas.
Judge: Flash Fiction
Michelle Zumbrum is a self-describing bleeding-heart social worker, writers’ groupie, and single mom of two semi-sweet/semi-surly teenagers. Hobbies include cat calling cats, imbibing cheap wine, and watching “CinemaSins” on YouTube.
Judge: 1st Chapter of Book
Brian Dyer is a social worker in Emporia, Kansas. He enjoys spending time with his kids, craft beer, music, Kansas, and nature.
Judge: Theme
Lydia Kautz is the Editor of the Junction City Union in Junction City, KS. She is also a student with Emporia State University's SLIM program and a hobby writer of fiction and other fun things.