Declaring a winner in a literary contest is silly in many ways. As the ballots and comments make clear, different pieces resonated with readers for different reasons–a piece might resonate with you because you feel a deep connection to the theme, because the story speaks to your life experience in some way, because of a line that lingers with you days after you read the piece, or because on the day you read the piece, you needed the emotional experience it offered.
We love it when people vote, though. Several of you commented on how you enjoyed the process of going through the pieces again. Some kept writing after ranking their top four and told us what they loved about a few other pieces that hadn’t quite made their ballot. And a few people mentioned how the pieces inspired them to start working on their own short-form writing, or how they changed their ideas about Mormon Lit.
The purpose of this contest has been to show off Mormon writers, but an important side-effect has been to reassure us that engaging Mormon readers also exist.
Here’s what you voted for this time around:
4th place (tie):
“Echo of Boy” by Darlene Young
“Angry Sunbeam” by Eric Jepson
3rd place:
“Should Have Prayed for a Canoe,” by Julia Jeffery
2nd place:
“Best Wedding Advice Ever,” by Heather Young
1st place:
“Faded Garden” by Emily Harris Adams
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you again to all who participated and voted.
We hoped you’ll come back to join us this fall for our themed contest and next spring for the fifth annual Lit Blitz. This fall’s theme is “Classic Forms, Contemporary Poems”–we’ll be accepting poems that relate to modern Mormon life in poetic forms that existed before 1830. Details on deadline, requirements, and prize purse will follow shortly.
I would like to thank the academy for this award. Being #2 in the Mormon Lit Blitz has been a dream since I was a young girl. I would also like to thank my jr. high school librarian, Mr. Gross. He was the first adult who took me seriously and encouraged me to keep writing. He also told me to stick with writing about what I knew and to not waste my time writing about adults with boring problems.
Lastly, I want to thank you, the readers, for your kindness and support.
(blows a kiss to the audience, bows deeply and flounces off stage, sparkly red dress trailing behind as a thunderous standing ovation goes on and on and on.)
Fun to read the entries.