Young Writers Contest
Congratulations to our 2024 Authors
In 2024, we received over 150 submissions from middle and high school writers throughout the Chappaqua Central School District. We celebrated all of our contest participants and announced the winning nonfiction, fiction, and poetry works at an award reception on June 6th, 2024 in the Chappaqua Library Courtyard. Please see below for the complete list of winners.
Winners of the 44th Annual Young Writers Contest
High School Nonfiction
First Place: Olivia Chang, 10th Grade, Harabeoji
Second Place (tie): Cindy Chen, 10th Grade, Homecoming
Second Place (tie): Defne Gurer, 10th Grade, Izmir
Honorable Mention: Phoebe Bomback, 10th Grade, Light in the Darkness
High School Fiction
First Place: Rena Hollister, 12th Grade, Dream Sequins
Second Place (tie): Lasya Hota, 9th Grade, Agathokakological
Second Place (tie): Sydney Posner, 10th Grade, Trauma and Anxiety
Honorable Mention: Eliza Fink, 10th Grade, The Longest August
High School Poetry
First Place: Mia Vieira, 12th Grade, Wretch
Second Place: Rory Frasch, 11th Grade, Grade Reports
Third Place: Mila Rymarczyk, 9th Grade, Flowers Courting Fools
Honorable Mention: Lasya Hota, 9th Grade, To Speak or Not to Speak
Middle School Nonfiction
First Place: Arjun Jangi, 8th Grade, Storm Daniel
Second Place: Mia Long, 6th Grade, Remembering Linda Zhang
Third Place: Violet Clinton, 8th Grade, Enchanted Clay
Honorable Mention: Richelle Cong, 7th Grade, Tears: More Than Just Water
Middle School Fiction
First Place: Violet Clinton, 8th Grade, Pentimento
Second Place: Edith Brereton, 5th Grade, The Lost Library
Third Place: Sophie Wang, 7th Grade, Shadows of Regret
Honorable Mention: Ro Jacobs, 5th Grade, Truthfully a Camper
Middle School Poetry
First Place: Caroline Sunwoo, 8th Grade, Musings of an Angsty Teen
Second Place (tie): Arjun Jangi, 8th Grade, Wish
Second Place (tie): Ella Zhu, 6th Grade, Promise(d)
Honorable Mention: Avika Goel, 8th Grade, Going to the bathroom during school
Rena Hollister accepting the 2024 Linda J. Zhang Award
The 2024 Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement
This year's recipient of the Linda J. Zhang Award is Rena Hollister. Rena is a senior at Horace Greeley who has won Young Writers Contest awards in fiction during all four of her high school years, including First Place in her senior year. Her excellent work and consistent involvement made her a standout candidate for this year's award. Congratulations, Rena!
Stroll Chappaqua Features Young Writers Contest Winners!
Winners of this year's Young Writers Contest will once again have the opportunity to be featured in an upcoming issue of Stroll Chappaqua! The magazine is all about bringing our community together by hearing the voices and stories of our neighbors. We couldn't be more proud to celebrate and share the works of talented young writers in our community, and we are grateful to partner again with Stroll Chappaqua to bring their work to mailboxes in New Castle.
You can find a digital version of the July 2023 magazine cover featuring several YWC awardees along with their winning work here. Additional stories, poems, and essays from 2023 winners were featured in subsequent issues of Stroll throughout the year. We look forward to seeing features from our 2024 contest participants in the coming year!
The Friends of the Chappaqua Library Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement
The Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement is co-sponsored by the Linda J. Zhang Foundation, in remembrance of Linda.
This award is given to a Chappaqua student that has consistently shown dedication to and achievement in writing, showcased in submissions to the Young Writers Contest throughout their middle and high school years.
Past recipients of the Linda J. Zhang Award are commemorated on a plaque which hangs in the Chappaqua Library Teen Zone.
Past Winners of the Young Writers Contest
The Young Writers Contest attracts talented writers who live in the Chappaqua Central School District each year. Click below to see lists of past winning authors.
2023 Young Writers Contest Winners and Honorable Mentions