2025 Monthly Contest Winners

October Personal Narrative Contest

First Place

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1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back
Kayla Yoon
1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back
Kayla Yoon

Growing through change: stories and advice from a teen, for all the teens out there.

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Kayla Yoon

Second Place

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The Plane Ride of Doom
Aru Kim
The Plane Ride of Doom
Aru Kim

My very first plane ride? It wasn’t great. In fact, it was downright terrible.

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Aru Kim

Third Place

Featured
The Unmatched Tournament
Lucas Seoh
The Unmatched Tournament
Lucas Seoh

It’s just my first year playing soccer with my friends. Will our friendship carry us to victory, or will we be defeated and go home?

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Lucas Seoh

September Fiction Contest

First Place

Featured
A Never-Ending Dream
Sandinia Deng
A Never-Ending Dream
Sandinia Deng

My vision starts to black out, and then I am holding out to something, anything, for just a little support. I find nothing of the sort. Instead, I am falling. No. No.

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Sandinia Deng

Second Place

Featured
draethym’s walls
Sophie Ma
draethym’s walls
Sophie Ma

I grew up here, in the library with books instead of parents and stories instead of friends. I have spent the past twenty years of my life in the Draethym and yet I still have not mapped out the entire library, and that isn’t due to lack of effort. Although I have gotten close, I still don’t know if the end might even be near. I don’t even know if there is an end.

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Sophie Ma

Third Place

Featured
Éternelle
Kayla Yoon
Éternelle
Kayla Yoon

A shining stage, masked actors, and a perfect role. But as the curtain rises, Gaston realizes that some encores never end…and some stages are impossible to leave. 

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Kayla Yoon

August Hot Take Contest

First Place

Featured
Do We Need to Care about Politics?
Evelyn Kim
Do We Need to Care about Politics?
Evelyn Kim

As a teenager, I never thought I would have to care about politics until I was older. In my world, politics was just something that I didn’t have to worry about. And that was the problem. 

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Evelyn Kim

Second Place

Featured
Cycling over Running, ALWAYS
Ryan Ch.
Cycling over Running, ALWAYS
Ryan Ch.

You have a better option to get to places faster, be more efficient, and have fun! It’s called cycling.

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Ryan Ch.

Third Place

Featured
Beautiful Pain: What Really Happens Behind the Dance Performance
Kayla Yoon
Beautiful Pain: What Really Happens Behind the Dance Performance
Kayla Yoon

The crowd starts to quiet down and warm up for a fantastic night. My cue is seconds away, feet aching and stomach tied in knots. But there’s no time to think about pain. As I run into the blinding lights, you see grace and beauty. I feel fire.

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Kayla Yoon

July How To Contest

First Place

+ 2,000 points + $25

Featured
How to Pack for Your Next Cruise
Kayla Yoon
How to Pack for Your Next Cruise
Kayla Yoon

My stylized guide to a successful packing experience for a summer Alaskan cruise.

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Kayla Yoon

Second Place

+ 1,000 points

Featured
How to Crochet a Fluffy Octopus
Renata Tellez
How to Crochet a Fluffy Octopus
Renata Tellez

Grab your favorite yarn and get ready to crochet your very own fluffy octopus—from little keychains to soft plushies, this fun pattern is how it all started for me, and now it’s your turn!

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Renata Tellez

Third Place

+ 500 points

Featured
How to Create Character
Sandinia Deng
How to Create Character
Sandinia Deng

All parts to developing a memorable lead.

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Sandinia Deng

June Fantasy Fiction Contest

9-12th Grade Division

Featured
Regret Blooms
Chloe Ma
Regret Blooms
Chloe Ma

The purple hyacinths of regret, forgiveness, and sorrow.

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Chloe Ma

First Place Winners

6-8th Grade Division

Featured
Project Phoenix
Michael Seoh
Project Phoenix
Michael Seoh

From the ashes of the past, one man has a vision to get rid of violence and crime, creating AI with the power to control the minds of the people. It’s so perfect that no one knows they're always being watched. 

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Michael Seoh

9-12th Grade Division

Featured
Star-touched or Star-crossed?
Sandinia Deng
Star-touched or Star-crossed?
Sandinia Deng

A sunrise greeted me, one too beautiful to be wasted on this day. Every corner, every inch, sobbing was present, not the ones found in a tower with a pretty princess, but the type that violently clawed and thrashed, voices cracking in agony.

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Sandinia Deng

Second Place Winners

6-8th Grade Division

Featured
Planet Life Interior
Kayla Yoon
Planet Life Interior
Kayla Yoon

We were not chosen to protect the world, we were broken to protect him.

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Kayla Yoon

9-12th Grade Division

Featured
Cycling over Running, ALWAYS
Ryan Ch.
Cycling over Running, ALWAYS
Ryan Ch.

You have a better option to get to places faster, be more efficient, and have fun! It’s called cycling.

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Ryan Ch.

Third Place Winners

6-8th Grade Division

Featured
The Heart of Pyra
Ryan C.
The Heart of Pyra
Ryan C.

Two worlds, one fate: can trust heal a city on the brink of extinction?

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Ryan C.