Many Kansas Authors Club Members enjoyed a day at the Kansas Book Festival in Topeka. We also celebrated our young writers with our annual Youth Writing Contest Awards! Congratulations to all of our young writers!
A note about the 2026 Youth Awards Book of Winning Entries. The book was not yet available for the awards ceremony and will be delivered to all youth winners via postal mail. Please allow 3 to 4 weeks for receipt. Certificates for winners who were not able to be present at the awards ceremony will also be mailed at that time.
2026 Fiction Winners
FICTION
Grades 3-4
1st place - Malaika Amisi, “The Other Dimension”
2nd place - Ananya Mohanbabu, “The Bracelet”
3rd place - Draeden Dempsey, “They Tried to Bomb the Earth”
Honorable Mention - Amelia Ellis, “Scarlet the Wonder Dog”
Grades 5-6
1st place - Penelope Goodwin, “Jerimiah’s Haircut”
2nd place - Ivy Sun, “The Elevator Button”
3rd place - Erisha Gandhi, “The Dreams that I Lived”
Grades 7-8
1st place - Anabelle Coetzee “Titanic’s Tale”
2nd place - Sophia Sun, “The Riot of Bellem”
3rd place - Armaan Gadit, “A Day without My Phone”
Grades 9-12
1st place - Avery Cao, “The Class of 2037”
2nd place - Madeline Male, “Hair of Flowers”
3rd place - Aubrey Nelson, “The Lonesome Cowboy”
Honorable Mention – Adain Smith, “Misery Interlude”
Grades 3-4
1st place - Malaika Amisi, “The Other Dimension”
2nd place - Ananya Mohanbabu, “The Bracelet”
3rd place - Draeden Dempsey, “They Tried to Bomb the Earth”
Honorable Mention - Amelia Ellis, “Scarlet the Wonder Dog”
Grades 5-6
1st place - Penelope Goodwin, “Jerimiah’s Haircut”
2nd place - Ivy Sun, “The Elevator Button”
3rd place - Erisha Gandhi, “The Dreams that I Lived”
Grades 7-8
1st place - Anabelle Coetzee “Titanic’s Tale”
2nd place - Sophia Sun, “The Riot of Bellem”
3rd place - Armaan Gadit, “A Day without My Phone”
Grades 9-12
1st place - Avery Cao, “The Class of 2037”
2nd place - Madeline Male, “Hair of Flowers”
3rd place - Aubrey Nelson, “The Lonesome Cowboy”
Honorable Mention – Adain Smith, “Misery Interlude”
2026 Nonfiction Award Winners
NONFICTION
Graces 3-4
1st place - Aadhya Kotipalli, “Clenched Fist: A Letter to My Palm”
2nd place - Sri Pranavi Bollempalli, “My Brave Mallard Duck”
3rd place -Rajvardhan Yerraguntla, “Las Vegas Goes Wild!”
Grades 5-6
1st place - Ivy Sun, “First Solo Dance Competition”
2nd place - Vihaan S. Mohan, “The History of the Potato”
3rd place -Sydney Koon, “Sea Otters”
Honorable Mention - Vihaan S. Mohan, “Bleeding Kansas”
Grades 7-8
1st place – Armaan Gadit, “The Taste of Two Shores”
2nd place - Fiona Raugewitz, “Immigration Enforcement”
3rd place - Avyukta Bhavnani, “Culture”
Honorable Mention - Anabelle Coetzee, “My Race”
Honorable Mention - Lydia, Mueting, “Theme Essay”
Grades 9-12
1st place - Anupindi, “Arms Out, Eyes Closed”
2nd place - Maanya Mohan, “Creativity”
3rd place - Aubrey Nelson, “Tudor Style Architecture”
Graces 3-4
1st place - Aadhya Kotipalli, “Clenched Fist: A Letter to My Palm”
2nd place - Sri Pranavi Bollempalli, “My Brave Mallard Duck”
3rd place -Rajvardhan Yerraguntla, “Las Vegas Goes Wild!”
Grades 5-6
1st place - Ivy Sun, “First Solo Dance Competition”
2nd place - Vihaan S. Mohan, “The History of the Potato”
3rd place -Sydney Koon, “Sea Otters”
Honorable Mention - Vihaan S. Mohan, “Bleeding Kansas”
Grades 7-8
1st place – Armaan Gadit, “The Taste of Two Shores”
2nd place - Fiona Raugewitz, “Immigration Enforcement”
3rd place - Avyukta Bhavnani, “Culture”
Honorable Mention - Anabelle Coetzee, “My Race”
Honorable Mention - Lydia, Mueting, “Theme Essay”
Grades 9-12
1st place - Anupindi, “Arms Out, Eyes Closed”
2nd place - Maanya Mohan, “Creativity”
3rd place - Aubrey Nelson, “Tudor Style Architecture”
2026 Poetry Award Winners POETRY
Grades 3-4
1st place - Vanessa Humphreys, “Dad’s Dinner”
2nd place - Vanessa Humphreys, “Language, Dad!”
3rd place - Annie Han, “Why?”
Honorable Mention - Amelia Ellis, “Sleeping”
Honorable Mention - Rajvardhan Yerraguntla, “Haunted”
Grades 5-6
1st place - Vihaan S. Mohan, “Buffalos”
2nd place - Kai Condit, “Sides of Oceans”
3rd place - Leah Thomas, “Mutants and Monsters Book”
Honorable Mention - Natalia Powell, “Rainy Day”
Honorable Mention - Penelope Goodwin, “Ode to Pasta”
Honorable Mention - Natalia Powell, “Somewhere in the World”
Honorable Mention - Taksh Pidara, “The Coal Power Plant”
Grades 7-8
1st place - Lily Mudd, “Sunset to Sunrise”
2nd place - Ezra Northerns, “Winter Snow”
3rd place - Allee VandeWeerd, “Why?”
Honorable Mention - Alena Shishkova, “Pole Vault”
Honorable Mention - Ariana L. Casey, “Waited Forever but Forever Took Over”
Honorable Mention - Makayla Harger, “The Eyes of the World”
Honorable Mention - Kye Flax, “Guilt”
Honorable Mention - McKenzie Hamilton, “Liberty and Justice for All”
Honorable Mention - Gunner Robson, “Mushrooms”
Grades 9-12
1st place - Madeline Male, “Fish in Black Dress”
2nd place - Makenzie Copeland, “The Thunder After You”
3rd place - Cassie Northerns, “Visit”
Honorable Mention - Cassie Northerns, “Memories of the House at Rose Lane”
Honorable Mention - Saathwika Anupindi, “Are We Not the Same?”
Honorable Mention - Madeline Male, “Everlasting”
2026 Art Award Winners ART
Grades 3-4
1st place - Sri Pranavi Bollempalli, “Sunset Over Mountains”
2nd place - Rajvardhan Yerraguntla, “The Lighthouse”
3rd place - Saketh Sivakumar, “The Lost Ship”
Honorable Mention - Margaret Northerns, “Calico Kitty
Grades 5-6
1st place - Avishi Roy, “Stargazing”
2nd place - Cassidy Simons, “Mother’s Day Donkeys”
3rd place - Cassidy Simons, “Valentine’s Vase”
Honorable Mention - Alice Northerns, “Saphira”
Grades 7-8
1st place - Lily Mudd, “Flowering Lily”
2nd place - Lily Mudd, “A Rocky Ocean Beach”
Grades 9-12
1st place - Adain Smith, “The Hand”
2nd place - Madeline Male, “At the Orchard, Wyandotte County, Kansas”
3rd place - Adain Smith, “Peaceful Lily”
Honorable Mention - Aubrey Nelson, “Night Sky”
Honorable Mention - Eleanora Agard, “Lily in a Pond”
Honorable Mention - Cassie Northerns “La Salpicadura (para Sofía)”
Grades 3-4
1st place - Sri Pranavi Bollempalli, “Sunset Over Mountains”
2nd place - Rajvardhan Yerraguntla, “The Lighthouse”
3rd place - Saketh Sivakumar, “The Lost Ship”
Honorable Mention - Margaret Northerns, “Calico Kitty
Grades 5-6
1st place - Avishi Roy, “Stargazing”
2nd place - Cassidy Simons, “Mother’s Day Donkeys”
3rd place - Cassidy Simons, “Valentine’s Vase”
Honorable Mention - Alice Northerns, “Saphira”
Grades 7-8
1st place - Lily Mudd, “Flowering Lily”
2nd place - Lily Mudd, “A Rocky Ocean Beach”
Grades 9-12
1st place - Adain Smith, “The Hand”
2nd place - Madeline Male, “At the Orchard, Wyandotte County, Kansas”
3rd place - Adain Smith, “Peaceful Lily”
Honorable Mention - Aubrey Nelson, “Night Sky”
Honorable Mention - Eleanora Agard, “Lily in a Pond”
Honorable Mention - Cassie Northerns “La Salpicadura (para Sofía)”
Congratulations to the 2026 Bajaj Youth Writer of the Year - Adain Smith!
Many thanks to our 2026 Youth Contest Manager, Curtis Becker. Also to Evie Simmons for preparing the youth awards certificates and winners book, and to Lindsey Bartlett, Kris Polansky, and Linda Cook for assisting with the awards ceremony.
Kansas Authors Club holds annual writing contests for young writers. Any student living in the state of Kansas may enter. Student members of the club may enter, regardless of residence.
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