The winners in the 202 Julie Meier Writers Competition at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library were notified of their placements in late May. In its 32nd year, the competition is for fiction and nonfiction prose of 2,000 words or less with age groups from kindergarten to adult. The late Julie Meier, for whom the competition was named in 2018 created the program to encourage writing excellence and to recognizes talented writers. Prize money – $100 for first, $50 for second, and $25 for third – is provided through grants from the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, and the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation.
The competition is judged by professional writers and editors, educators, and by library employees. The library is forever grateful for all of the dedication of our judges and the creativity of our contestants.
The number of entries was reduced this year. In categories where there were three of fewer entries, they were judged on their merit and scored as they would normally would have been. All entries in the competition, winning or not, are bound into books that are added to the library’s collection. These books can be viewed in the History Room at the library.
The winners for 2021 Fiction are as follows:
- Grade K-2: First, Henleigh Otto, ‘The Little Cat;’ Second, Abigail Tetzlaff, ‘Unitron Adventures;’
- Grade 3-5: First, Ryder Pimentel, ‘Jack and Lily;’ Second, Kyler Otto, ‘The Adventure of a Minecraft Pig;’ Third, Alyssa Harrison, ‘Finding Forgiveness;’
- Grade 6-8: First, Elijah Harrison, ‘Don’t Hate Your Enemies, Levi;’ Second, Millie Nichols ‘Tell-Tale Heart Retell;’ Third, Mariah Winde, ‘A winning Goal;’
- Grade 9-12: First, Elizabeth Mccomas, ‘Don and Me, Little Sister Muvi;’ Second, Isaiah Harrison, ‘Bad Eggs;’ Third, Thomas Hersey, ‘Socrates on Campus;’
- Adult-19+: First, Alahna Harrison, ‘Sanguis Primus;’ Second, Taylor Kowalski, ‘Some Things Can’t Be Fixed;’ Third, Vicki Wilson, ‘The Legend of the Blue Blaze;’
The winners for 2021 Non-Fiction are as follows:
- Grade 6-8: First, John Paul Hersey, ‘It’s a Crazy Day in Our Neighbor;’ Second, Emma Hersey, ‘The Way I Remember It;’ Third, Emmy Pimentel, ‘The Truth;’
- Grade 9-12: First, Kamryn Wixom, ‘Millions of Lies;’ Second, Adison Harrison, ‘The Night of the Country Vampire;’ Third, Hannah Cummings, ‘A Girl’s Story;’
- Adult 19+: First, Mike Randles, ‘The Need to Win;’ Second, Isaac Harrison, ‘If the Cats had Stayed;’ Third, Rebecca Lacock, ‘The Way of the Storm;’