The results are in for the sixth annual Jefferson County Public Library Teen Writing Contest!
Sixty-four short stories were submitted by middle and high school students as part of this year's contest. The wide array of entries all demonstrated the amazing talent and imagination of Jefferson County teens and perfectly echoed this year's Summer Challenge theme: DinoSOAR Into Stories. These stories are dino-mite!
As part of the contest, teen storytellers were challenged to write a short story no longer than 5,000 words based on the following quote from Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, "Life will find a way."
After submitting their stories, participants received feedback from two JCPL staff and a qualified volunteer judge. After determining five finalists in both the middle school and high school categories, the final 10 submissions were passed along to our panel of celebrity judges who provided feedback to help determine the winners.
An award ceremony will be held at Belmar Library on Sept. 12.
Winners and Finalists
A hearty congratulations to this year's winners and finalists:
Middle School
- First Place: January H.
- Second Place: Avery R.
- Third Place: Jocelyn J.
- Finalist: Evelyn H.
- Finalist: Natalie S.
High School
- First Place: Penny Lane N.
- Second Place: Olivia B.
- Third Place: Jewel W.
- Finalist: Aiden H.
- Finalist: Ryan C.
2026 Author Panel
Thank you to our celebrity judges who helped select our finalists:
Writing Tips and Tricks
JCPL loves fostering creativity for the writing community! From Events, Writing Guide and resources, JCPL has plenty of resources to help you develop your craft.
