Announcing the Winners of the 93rd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition

Congratulations to the winners of the 93rd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition! For an interview with the Grand-Prize winner, see the November/December 2024 issue of Writer’s Digest. See which WD competitions are currently accepting entries at WritersDigest.com/wd-competitions.

Grand Prize

Matt Strempel, “Botched” (humor). Read the story here.

Memoir/Personal Essay

“Cupcakes and Eternity” by Kristin Eck“Asia (1969)” by Jennifer Rose“Like Mother, Like Daughter” by Kira Schiavone“Seeking the Third” by Alison Luterman“No Such Thing as Just One M&M” by Katrina Peacock“Harvest” by Catherine L. Hensley“To Write or Not to Write: The Case for Both” by Alan George Maki“Night Rounds” by Joseph Marr“First Shift” by E.R.J. McKay“Who yo people” by Pam Sam

Honorable Mentions

“A Final Prayer” by Carol Larson“A Poetry Lesson Named Craig” by Clint Martin“A Weapon of Junipers and Jays” by NV Mann“Aging, Angst and Anxiety” by Stephanie Baker“All Summer in a Day at the Ballpark” by Barbara Tylla“An Unspoken Apology” by Leslie Absher“And the walls came tumbling down” by Katrina Brown
“Avoiding the Danger of Relative Privation When Lives and Art Are Lost: A change in the way society values art can address the growing popularity of putting art in the crosshairs to make a point.” by Ron Leshnower“Bitten by the Mosquito: A College Student’s Essay on Her Severe Intrusive-Thought OCD” by Hannah Lavoie“Come on Down” by Mary Warwick“Different Hands and Knees” by Penny Dahl“Door to Door” by Joella Aragon“Fantasy” by Skylar Colby“Fluent in Distance” by Laura O’Gorman Schwartz“Gotta Have It” by K. Patrick O’Neill“Grass Bradford” by Fillmore Same“Holding a Glass Up to the Light” by Rosanne Gordon“I was a little girl once.” by Devin Overend“Jocko’s Gone” by Steve Powell“Learning to Trust Again” by Linda Summerford“Mandy” by Amy Claire Massingale“Northern Lights” by Mo Conlan“Polar Plunge” by Jennifer Jones“Poop Happens” by Stephanie Kilpatrick“Powers of Poseidon” by Katherine Larryn“Raymona” by Allison Cross“Shattered” by Lillian Martin“Stays Mainly in the Plain” by Joe Blair“Teabiskitwala Cafe’” by Wanderwoman“The Club No One Wants to Join” by Rebecca Bartlett“The Fear of Going Missing” by Matthew Haynes“The Forever Medicine” by MJ Robertson“The Melting Watch” by Bliss Goldstein“The Wolf” by KT Ryan“There is an Ocean” by susan westlund“Threads of Life” by Diane M. How“Three Pieces of Pie” by Carole Vasta Folley“Unexpected Ending” by Brian Watson“Uninvited” by Brandon Williams“What They Brought” by Maryann Grau“Why I Hate Tuesdays” by Vivian Finck“Working … Like a Dog” by Sheryl Bass

Inspirational/Spiritual

“Mystical Messages” by Grace Ryan“Family Matters” by Michelle Layer Rahal“Flutter” by Shelby Poulin“Fertile Emptiness” Marielena Zuniga“Guzen or Gift?” by KK“Finn” by Kristen Swanson“A note from the friend every person should have” by Tiffany Chartier“Taffy” by Karen Tinsley“Breath as a Blessing” by Angela Waldron“The Husband, the Hound, and the Good Shepherd” by Allia Zobel Nolan

Honorable Mentions

“A Conversation with a Stranger” by Alex Lee“A Mirror Moment: God, Make Me Stronger Than the Alcohol Proof” by Sincerely Syreeta“A Personal Reflection on a Solar Eclipse” by Dan Zavoianu“A True Story” by Jean Lennon“A True Testimony” by Robyn Gaffney“Acceptance” by Kerith Mickelson“An Epiphany of Angels” by Preetamdas Kirtana“Anticipating Forsythia” by Maureen Miller“Bird Days: Living with Chronic Illness” by Kristina Fluitt“Conversations on Fire” by Jennifer G. Townsend“Cradlesong” by Maureen Miller“Cries from a Cold Bathroom Floor” by Rhett Wilson“Eulogy for Beth Martin” by Rona Trachtenberg“Field Notes from the Forest Floor: Foraging as Spiritual Practice” by Daniel Cooperrider“God, Roses, and Jiffy Lube” by Rhett Wilson“Growing Old” by Q. L. Berger“I’ve Always Been a Pirate” by Kendra Boersen“My Friendship Bracelet” by Jorge Brana“Star Sapphire” by Dianne Beard“Stay for the Cookies” by Kris Winters“Superheroes Among Us” by Karen Taylor“Tangled Up in Grief” by Sarah Brown“The Bluebirds” by Robin Rogel“The Day of Dance” by Annika Connor“The Everythingness of Interbeing” by Jenny Zenner“The Faithfulness of God: the MRI” by Kathy Benedetto“The Greening of My Soul” by Mo Conlan“The Handoff” by Tim Campbell“The Sheep and the Goats” by Chief John West“The Tree Who Saw the Sky” by Karen Townsend“The View From the Window” by Beth Olson“Vision” by JM Fletcher“What They Brought” by Maryann Grau“Windsong” by Rachael M. Colby“Woody” by Peggie S. Tucker

Children’s/Young Adult Fiction

“Choosing Week” by Ruth Scharff-Hansen“The Art of Motivation” by Henry Weese “Untitled Picture Book” by Paige Cohen“The Field Trip to the End of the World” by Sydney Weber “Mommies Always Come Back” by Sherry Sallows “The Canon of Katrina Quinn” by Anne Hanovich “SNORKELING WITH SHARKS” by Symantha Sanda “Marta Blossoms” by Rochelle Stretton“Beware of Monsters” by JL Auguste“All Shapes Belong” by Theresa Rice 

Honorable Mentions

“A Torch Made of Darkness” by Darya Black“Bedtime Crew” by Jenna Stehler“Bedtime Hullabaloo” by Sharon White“Betwixt the Stars and Seas” by Jennyfer Gilgan“Blood Raven” by Becky Franklyn“Castaway Carl” by Carolyn Irving“Colorful Feelings” by T.N. Wehr“Girls in Polka-Dot Dresses Change the World. A Peace Corps Stories Series Story (Cameroon)” by Leonia“Growing Up” by Liberty McArtor“How to Attract a Hummingbird” by Symantha Sanda“How to Ride a Tiger” by Nicole King“I’m Telling Your Mother on You!” by Kathleen Jacobs“Love, Little Liberty” by Kathleen Jacobs“Lovely Nothing” by Krista Harrington“Mrs. Patrick’s Attic” by Jessica Dunnagan“Nat and the Not-Recital” by Tracie Renee“Not Ready Yet” by Michelle Nott“Our House Illuminated” by Kate Spires“Passages” by Peter Hausman“Peace and Carrots” by Angela De Groot“Reenie Brings the Rain” by Angela De Groot“Stealthy, Wealthy & Lies” by Elaine Hrivnak“Sweet Sixteen” by Meg Oolders“The Bench” by Larissa Hockett“The Boogeyman Ballad” by Kimberly Dana“The Cosmic Adventures of Galaxy McManus” by Christa Martin“The Elm of Elmwick Manor” by Breanne Palmerini“The Gift” by Michael Harley“The Late Migration” by Blake Byington“The Magical Tree” by Robin Currie“The Stones” by DM Reynolds“The Wednesday Lesson: A Short Story in Free Verse” by Tracie Renee“Use This Book as Wings” by Allan Peterkin“Walk A Mile: Steps in Time” by Robin Korb“Winter in the Boreal Forest” by Virginia Talbert Hickey

Genre Short Story

“Good Reason” by Jillian Grant Shoichet“Border Crossing” by Brian Huber“The Potomac Smelled Like Guts” by Laura Garden“A Parting Gift” by Susan Goodwin“The Apex” by Jennifer Slee“The Last Super” by Andrea Sumner“Ink” by Erich Noack“Child in Time” by Keby Boyer“A Song of Love and Longing” by Leslie Wibberley“FisherMan” by Megan Ham

Honorable Mentions

“A Bedtime Story” by Erica Balfour“A Purr-fect Love” by C.K. Shard“A Recipe for Change” by Charly“Brilliant Cut” by Tanya Menoni“Ceremony for the Sea” by Katie McLean Hoar“Coin Boy” by Kayla Sue Pugh“Dark Wings” by B. R. Knight“Deathbreaker” by Gracie Eland“Default 666” by Sharon Wagner“Dilemma on Mars” by Fred Shackelford“Eden” by Michael Stanley“Enough” by Murphy Maurice“A House Without Flowers” by J.A.Clarke“In the Back of the Truck” by Covington Dunn“Mercy” by Jennifer Della’Zanna“Mrs. Kornelie’s Cup-de-sac” by Lynda Vaughan“Old Forgotten Friends” by Philip Rosenblatt“Prize Horse” by Christina Lyon“Puckish Delight” by Charles Green“Rain” by Danny Imwold“Robot Baptism” by W. Steve Wilson“Rougarou” by Robin Lee Lovelace“Rule Number One” by Cat Sides“Shavasana” by Tree Martin“She Suffered” by LJ Denham“Spiderwebs and Ants” by Casey Nyvall“Stepping Forward” by Shirley Qin“The Angel’s Workweek” by Amy Suto“The Draft” by Erin M. Chavis“The Ice Cream Man” by James Logsdon“The Lady” by Kayla Mesker“The Magus and the Rabbit” by Mariel Masque“The Running Game” by Jennifer Slee“The Temporary Pastor” by Barbara Barker“The Third Men” by Jennifer Slee“The Toreador of the Tunnels” by Sheila Sharpe“The Vessel” by Thomas Bergamini“World of Harms” by B.C. Bond“Wrath of Venus” by Joey Krzeminski“Yellowstone: A Mystery” by A.L.Padden

Mainstream/Literary Short Story

“Offline Friend” by Angie St. John“Do Or Dash” by Patricia Ljutic“Wingman From Hell” by Peter Morris“Mother’s Milk” by Steven Sax“Donovan’s Calling” by Stacey Marinuzzi“The Wheat and the Tares” by Austin Lovelace“Persuasions” by Jill Martin“Arctic Peonies” by Birgit Lennertz Sarrimanolis“The Wreck of the Triumph” by Baird Harper“Snapshots: A Triptych” by Ernest Wiggins

Honorable Mentions

“81 Bowery” by Holly Lau“A Handful of Smoke” by Greg Jones“And Only I Remain” by Michael Pearson“Blackbird” by David M. Herman“Bucket List” by Kelly Beachell“Burying Chago” by Morgan Smith“Child In Time” by Keby Boyer“Cripple Creek” by Stephany Zoo“Eat Your Heart Out” by Jennifer Slee“Festival” by Ronan Ryan“Fishing” by Karl Luntta“Gigi, September 1, 1985–August 15, 1988” by J. Milanes“Grandmother’s Blueberry Basket” by Katelyn T. Nelsen“Her Watch” by Nicole Senyi“Holy Ghost” by Kate Fitzgerald“House-Haven-Home” by Kem Joy Ukwu“How She Happens” by Frances Drayus“Lemongrass” by Nicole Chea“Lost and Found” by Patricia McMahon“Luck” by Megan Baxter“Mermaids” by Laura Souza“Of Course You Will Go to Grad School” by Beilin Ye“On Fire, a Halo for Eternity” by Michael Pearson“Only You” by Sonny Fillmore“Over” by Dan DeNoon“Phoenix” by Heather Foster“Polka-Dots” by Angela Kirby“Pushin’ Through” by Barb Miller“San Jose Ways” by Kate Fitzgerald“Sanctuary” by Patricia Ljutic“Seams” by Florence Ashley“She Believed in Numbers” by Martha Williams“Shiloh” by M. K. Brackett“Sins of Authenticity” by Bret Wengeler“Squeak” by Konner Mel“Sweat” by Marta Woodward“The Body in the Valley” by Anyelly Herrera“The Circus” by Katie Harms“The Clocks That Worked” by Edward Carthew“The Fragrance of Bitter Oranges” by Charles Frode“The Math of Universe” by Christine Panas“The Planet of Love” by David Gurman“The Pomegranate Lady” by Lucy Fielding“The Sultan of Flip” by Dana Fitz Gale“The Sweet House” by Eaton Hamilton“The Things They Carried: Women’s Edition” by Lori Crispo“The Wages of Sin Are Low” by Ken Elliott“This Is All Your Fault” by Tanya Menoni“Til Valhalla” by Eric Swanson“Well” by Gail Bradburn

Humor

“Imperfect Endings” by Judith Carlough“Thursday Night Flights” by Jeanne Favini“One-Star Reviews” by Jake West“Ari and Dean (Harry and Dino)” by Nicholas Gaitanakais“Breaking Burque—The Eyebrows” by Sneaks Montoya“Blacksmith and Maiden, a Little Fairy Tale” by Carl Imboden“The Answer Is …” by Don Michalowski“Perfect Crimes” by Chuck Collins“It’s Complicated” by Pauline Hepler“Worms With Those Fries?” by Terry Sachko

Honorable Mentions

“Playing Doctor” by Amy Mills“A Moving Experience” by Alicia “Panama” Canal“An RV Wife” by Karna Bodman“Big Break” by Aaron Hawkins“Braving Anniversary Trip #2” by Davene Coutts“Brotherhood versus Motherhood” by Patricia Stettler“Chainsaws Are Loud” by ER Castaneda“Copier Schmopier” by Julie Prince“Countrified” by Amber Dawnne“Emperor of Etiquette” by Michael Oakes“I, Marlon James, or The Case of Marlon James and the Unidentified Body” by A. Rafael Johnson“In A Pickle” by Gretchen Ayoub“Ina Johansson vs. The Scotcheroo Bandit” by Kate Swenson“King of the Cowboys” by Rick Niece“Not quite child proof” by Lucianne Poole“NYC Driving Directions” by Cynthia M. Balagtas“Please Rate Your Self-Driving Dogsled Activity in Finnish Lapland” by Wendy Diliberti“Sex, Blood, and Sugar” by Lars Chinburg“Spring Break 1977” by Mary Pat Burke“Their Stupidity Was Criminal” by Michael A. Fuoco“Three Swipe Rights Gone Wrong” by Lori Mulligan“Tired in the U.S.A.” by Molly Devane“Water, Water Everywhere … and Lots of Drops to Drink” by ER Castaneda“Wedding Whiplash: How I Lost a Friend and Regained My Sanity” by Cheryl Free“What’s In a Bowl and Basket” by Tresslyn Brown“What’s So Funny About Tennis” by Paul Fein“Who is going to move the body?” by Mary Finnen“Wild Goose Chase” by Andrea Poniers“Wonder in the Small Things” by Alex Lee

Rhyming Poetry

“Inexorable” by Sarah Costin“Torus” by Linda Drattell“The Liberace Terza Rima” by Holly Eva Allen“Enigmatic” by Felicia De Chabris“Foot-Notes” by Landon Porter“The Backyard of the Universe” by Michael Olson“17. Anonymous” by Jess X. Moor“Transform” by Kathy O’Grady Bose“While We Slept” by Landon Porter“You’re Not in Kansas, Either” by Robert Daseler

Honorable Mentions

“Baldwin Beach” by Konner Mel“Blackburn’s Devils” by Jack Bannon“Cabin Poignant” by Erik S. Nites“Cobwebs” by Christin Haws“Convalescent Summer” by Konner Mel“Dawn Moonset, Sunset Crater” by Konner Mel“Departure’s Eve” by Patrick Walker“Edinburgh Twilight” by Konner Mel“Far From (Religious)” by Ato Dankwa“For Blaise Pascal, in Regard to Public Transport” by Patrick Walker“Fractured Sonnet on the Survivors of Catastrophic Loss” by Clif Mason“Fruit Fly Genocide” by Patrick Walker“Grand Canyon Dawn” by Konner Mel“Hourglass” by Gloria Herdt“Kxai-Kxai Dawn” by Konner Mel“Little Old Men Who Live in the Desert” by Ockert Greeff“Loose Change” by Konner Mel“Missiles” by Jacob Schapiro“Nigel No Mates” by Steve McDonald“Night Passage” by Francis Flavin“Oaks and Such” by Robert Allen Nelson“Okaloosa” by Mikayla Holland“One Lightning Bug” by Anna Lena Phillips Bell“Outlaws” by Robin Johnson-Drogo“Passing” by Louise Kantro“Point—Counterpoint” by James Cook“Prelude to Cinematography” by Joshua Burton“Roses” by Kimberly Shaw“Smile” by King Shawn Da Dawnn“Sudden Infant Death Syndrome” by Kache’ Attyana Mumford“Tanaga Cycle: Class of ’99” by AJ Layague“The Borrowed Anthology” by Anna Amatuzio“The Color Blue” by MJ Craft“The Seduction” by Kathy Humenik“The Selfish Sacrifice” by Areej Khan“The Terse Calligraphy of Sunset Clouds” by Patrick Walker“Theophany” by James Cook“three tall blondes” by Michael Miller“Uncle Bob” by Patrick Walker“Weasel in Winter in the Summer Cottage” by Sally Cobau 

Non-Rhyming Poetry

“His Name Was Yitzhak” by Redd Ryder“Minotaur in Love” by Redd Ryder“Broken Pantoum” by Jessika O’Sullivan“Slave Ship, Alabama” by Redd Ryder“I am Trying to Ask the Dead Their Names” by Zachariah Claypole White“Condemned” by Dennis Rhodes“Nineteen Kinds of Moss” by Sonya Schneider“Dissociation” by Kim Kavanagh“The Squirrel Made His Way” by Alicia Cook“Adding Flavor” by Paul Tifford Jr.

Honorable Mentions

“1974” by Kimberly Shaw“A Red Hawk” by Enid Valdez“Amid the Luminous Grit” by Jeffery Allen Tobin“An Early Autumn Walk” by Elizabeth Elder“Before the Exorcism” by Mari Farrand“Cocoon” by Christy Wise“Demeter’s Drought” by Marion M. Walsh“Distant Recurrence” by Mickie Kennedy“Dogma” by Mary Paulson“elegy for two at the river thames” by Dean Gessie“Falling Watermelon” by Neal Wong“Finding My Boyfriend in Bed, 1993” by Mickie Kennedy“Full Self Driving” by Candice M. Kelsey“Guarding the Coop” by Mickie Kennedy“I Am of Big Woods” by Barbara Messick“I Saw You Crying” by Rick Kearns“In Between The Sheets” by Tanya Bartlett“In Safed” by Yael Ezry“Known For” by Dennis Todd“Lake Monster” by Andrew Beerworth“Lineage” by Marena Fleites Lear“Modesto’s Knitting Circle” by Redd Ryder“Muse” by Katherine Atwell Herbert“My body: a host for parasitic morality” by Julia Mauro“Myrmecology” by Alexandra Ozols“Need” by Mary Paulson“Nothing but Black” by Jane R. Snyder“Ode to a Letter of Recommendation” by Janice Zerfas“Ode to My Autism” by Melody Miller“Ode to the Clothesline of Trevi” by Suellen Wedmore“Omakase” by Afton Kolbe“play cousins” by Nicole Adabunu“Prostate Hierophany” by Mickie Kennedy“Restless in Arenal” by David DeGusta“Rosemary” by Leah Applebee Lojo“Sophomore Year” by Rebecca Buller“Tether” by Alison Luterman“The Beaches of Normandie” by kari martindale“The Boy Who Could Not Give Up” by Ockert Greeff“The Good Driver” by Joseph Kuhn Carey“The Neighborhood” by Kristen Wilson“The Post Office” by Rebecca Buller“The Vanishing” by Laurie Paternoster“The Visitation” by Kathleen Rugel“Uncle Ronny on the Local News” by Mickie Kennedy“Wait” by Veronica Schorr“Wall of Clocks” by Kathleen McCoy“What a Summer Was” by RG Thielen“What the Strength Card Said” by Alison Luterman“you when i find you” by David DeGusta

Nonfiction Essay or Article

“Rational Drug Design: Gertrude Elion and Her Medicines that Changed the World” by Leonardo Chung“Candy Girl” by Matt Cheek“There are No Patients. There are Only Dancers” by Ember Reichgott Junge“The Holy Righteous Queen Tamar: Christian King of Medieval Georgia” by Angela Waldron“Anatolian Sikke” by Angela Waldron“Rosie the Riveter” by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds“Meiringen, 1891” by Niki Fakhoori“What’s in a Gnome?” by Justin Marlowe“In the Footsteps of Valentino” by Cindy Gentry“Watermelon and Buttercups: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” by Veronica Brown

Honorable Mentions

“I Don’t Know What ‘Like This’ Is” by Ember Reichgott Junge“You’ll Never Walk Again” by Ember Reichgott Junge“A Bay Like No Other” by Doug Alderson“A Survivor’s Tale: Along Quebec Explorers’ Route” by David Lee Drotar“Armed and Dangerous” by Kathy Bradshaw“Channeling Her Inner Strength” by Kathy Bradshaw“Dementia: Meet Them Where They Are” by Ember Reichgott Junge“Donald Trump and the X-Bet” by Timothy Dixon“Duende in the Desert” by Elaine Howley“Expanding the Community” by Elaine Howley“Gravy Veins” by Ginger Sinsabaugh“Harmony and Union Come Home” by D. A. Dorwart“If Looks Could Kill: The Power of the Evil Eye” by Angela Waldron“Losing Luggage and Finding Hope” by Heide Brandes“Maud Without an E” by Naomi Horne“Mighty Mitochondria” by Elaine Howley“No Dance Partner? No Problem!” by Ember Reichgott Junge“Of Katydids and Mongolian Climes” by Elaine Howley“Primitive threat response” by Vivien Huang“Ryan Dusick Finds It No Longer Harder to Breathe” by Sheryl Aronson“Spy fiction is back in vogue. But did you know there are two basic types?” by Joan M. Kop“The ADHD Diagnostic Criteria Sucks at Capturing Females and People of Color” by Vivien Huang“The Civil Rights Connection Between the U.S.A. and Northern Ireland” by Forest Issac Jones“The Cold Way Women are Finding Relief” by Elaine Howley“The DSM may be wrong about anxiety disorders” by Vivien Huang“The Greatest Therapy of All” by Ember Reichgott Junge“The Missing Link: The Critical Connections Between Technique and Tactics in Tennis” by Paul Fein“The Mouse and I” by Troy W. Green“Let Us Entertain You” by Paul Fein