originally published in the Pickens County Progress, December 5, 2019
It is always a pleasurable evening when the Sassafras Literary Exchange presents the awards to the winners of the Creative Writing for Youth contest. This 38th annual ceremony was no different. The packed room was filled with the smiling faces of the recipients and their proud parents.
The top three winners in each of the six categories received cash prizes. Certificates of achievement were issued to others whom the judges felt were of merit. The cash prizes were made available through sponsorship from the Community Bank of Pickens County.
The event was held on the evening of Tuesday, November 19th at 91 D.B. Carroll Street in a school board meeting room. Over two hundred Pickens County students at the middle and high school level competed in this contest. First Place winners in the high school division each received $75.00 and a marble plaque. First Place winners in the middle school division took home $60.00 and a marble plaque. Listed below are the winners.
Middle School Winners
Middle School Non-Fiction
1st – Annabelle Carpenter
2nd – Hayden Jones
3rd – Micah Newton
Honorable Mention
Ellison Steinhauser and Brody Teal
Middle School Fiction
1st – Tessa Clark
2nd – Emily Koson
3rd – R.J. Mullins
Honorable Mention
Laney Jones, Angelina Grizzle, Brandy Overton, Abbigail Reed, and Emery Bryant
Middle School Poetry
1st – Rilyn Morris
2nd – Sue White
3rd – Ava Pries
Honorable Mention
Eli Broen, Fia Giambra, Josiah Sassman, and Aiden Daves
Pickens High School Winners
High School Non-Fiction
1st – Blake Moss
2nd – Kate Wigington
3rd – Alexis Stanfield
Honorable Mention
Addie Fitts, Ansley Tull, and Macie Buttimer
High School Fiction
1st – Jodi Anderson
2nd – Ben Blackwell
3rd – Eric Streetman
Honorable Mention
Sydney Hall, Cody Sutton, Lexi Jarvis Cantrell, and Jacob Henderson
High School Poetry
1st – Brooke Bell
2nd – Stephanie Bregis
3rd – Nathan Hamilton
Honorable Mention
Eric Streetman, Anelle Fowler, Kylie Penson, Colby James, and Julia Craig