2024
1st Place: Upon a Silver Tide, by Felicity Edwards
SYNOPSIS
An oath, once sworn, is not easily broken.
You cannot cheat the old magic.
It worms its way inside you…
Born touched by the old magic, Cymbelline has never belonged in Paradise. When the dark god, her people’s ancient enemy, steals the beloved Lights and flees across the sea, she joins her people’s quest to see them return, hoping to make a better life for herself in the distant land of Tenalach.
There her fate becomes entwined with one of her people’s seven bold princes: the firebrand Merreyn, bound to the Lights by a terrible oath. One by one, it drives his brothers to their deaths. Desperate to save him from the curse, Cymbelline will fight the dark god and ascend to the summit of Paradise itself, but can an oath made before the old magic ever truly be broken?
Not available to read
2nd Place: Beneath the Surface, by Catherine Gruen
SYNOPSIS
In the late spring, Mira Milley’s brother went down the mountain in search of his future. And since then, her life has never been the same. She searches for escape – escape from her grief, escape from her black-and-white life, escape from the weight of her family’s debt.
Laric Carsen’s father was more than just a poet. He was a genius. But no one knew it until too late.
But now Laric’s father is dead and his uncle, who had become his caretaker, has disappeared. Laric leaves the land of the midnight sun and goes south in search of his uncle.
When Laric Carsen shows up on her family’s farm in search of his uncle, he asks for her help in fining his uncle. Mira must decide. Will she stay on the mountain? Or will she take the same chance her brother did?
3rd Place: Rise, by Addison Ashliegh
SYNOPSIS
What if singing gave people the power to manipulate different elements? What if there was a certain frequency that could bring about utter destruction, complete dissonance? In Rise, the world has been consumed by that very same Dissonance, a spreading darkness that corrupts and twists anything it touches.
Kept in hiding her entire life, Zipporah is the last known Daktari, a healer who uses not herbs and salves, but song. When an attack on her village upends their lives, Zipporah and her brother cross the sea to find help from people they’ve never met. Grieving the loss of their home and hoping to find peace and safety in a new land, Zipporah’s powers suddenly awake, allowing her to craft songs that have not been sung since the Dissonance’s creation. She must now learn how to harness the power her voice holds and discover what role she is to play in the restoration of harmony to the world.
Finalist: Wayllund House, by Annora Thurston
SYNOPSIS
Stettson, Onya, Petrik, and Lance have never thought of themselves as heroes. Why would they? Stettson is a information broker and professional blackmailer with a messy history. Onya is an ex-convict with a military background and missing magical abilities. Petrik has the power to read and manipulate people’s worst fears, as well as murdered father. Lance is just a normal person who was dragged into a life of crime by a crippling debt. To add to that, they are all part of the Opportunity Syndicate, the gang that controls the city of Gettridge.
But it seems they must figure out how to be heroes despite all of that. After acquiring a large manor house for the syndicate, strange, dangerous, and even paranormal events start to occur in connection with it. As the crew start to unravel what is really going on, they unearth a deadly plot that could spell the end of the world. What started as a simple job soon becomes life threatening and more personal than any of them could have imagined. Can they figure out how to get their lives together and save the world before it’s too late?
Finalist: Dear Nephew, the Requested Details of My Most Cunning Scheme, by breadul
SYNOPSIS
Sapphira Daval wants to murder someone. Or rather, her family wants her to murder the most powerful man in the world. The brilliant, elderly merchant Corelius.
It’s surprisingly easy. All the pieces fall into place and Miss Daval completes the task. Her promised reward is just a few hours away. But, as it turns out, she wasn’t the only murderer that night.
Not available to read
Finalist: Till They Behold You, by Kira Chapman
SYNOPSIS
Alex Meyers never dreamed his goals could take him the opposite direction of where he wanted to be. His plan was simple—to open his own restaurant while getting degrees in both culinary and business school. But now his uncle has gotten wind of the venture and decided to give his help, whether or not it’s wanted, ruining any chance Alex had to finally prove his independence to his family.
Ethan Thalton thought his future was secure. A freshman in a prestigious mechanical engineering program—even the details of his life were lined up. But sooner or later choices catch up with you, and suddenly Ethan finds himself not only floundering to maintain his university scholarship, but also confronting family circumstances he thought he’d put behind him.
Will Damar took life a day at a time. Working on a masters’ degree in foreign language instruction and spending free time at the gym or with his special needs nephew kept him happy—until one day an unexpected subpoena arrives in the mail, a prosecuting attorney asks questions he can’t answer, and he’s forced to decide how much he cares about the truth.
As painful circumstances thrust the young men together, they must struggle through family relationships, make new choices, and decide if they are truly willing to follow the God they call their own.
Finalist: The Lady of the Green Turtle, by Tiana High
SYNOPSIS
When a green cloaked girl and her turtle arrive in the little town of Ellingsworth, she discovers a factory that enslaves young children. To rescue them from the evil Captain could mean capture or death. But how can Ana free the children when her own heart is in bondage?
2023
1st Place: The Genesis Clock – Rachel North – Not available to read
2nd Place: Crueller Courts Than This – Felicity Edwards – Not available to read
3rd Place: Darius Winslow and the Best Quest Since Sliced Bread – Shasta van Zandwijk – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Voice of a Lion – Kyle Ancheta – Read on the Student Forum »
The Cherished and the Corrupt – Felicity Edwards – Not available to read
Between Comfort and Chaos – Hope Strayer – Read on the Student Forum »
2022
1st Place: The Under Sky – Rayna Magee – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: A Lawyer in Shining Armor – Rachel North – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Eulogy – Sophie Monastra – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Skyshadow – Jonathan Babcock – Read on the Student Forum »
Meet Me at the Edge of Time – Jordyn Hadden – Read on the Student Forum »
2021
1st Place: Adrift – Abby Snyder – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Hollow – Sophie Monastra – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: I Probably Won’t Live to See 1986 – Liberty Cousineau – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
The Witch of Endor – Alva Walsh – Read on the Student Forum »
Monsters Cold and Crooked – Felicity C. Edwards – Read on the Student Forum »
Blood Sins – Leyone Jones – Read on the Student Forum »
2020
1st Place: The Weeping Forest – Grace Willson – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Red Herring for Hire – Abigail Haagen – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: The King’s Brother – Sarabeth Schuck – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Not My Duty – Emily Martin – Read on the Student Forum »
Dragonmantles & Goldfish Crackers – Lauryn Trimmer – Read on the Student Forum »
Isbjørn – Rachel North – Read on the Student Forum »
2019
1st Place: I Am Nightrunner – Victoria Shanks – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Frostlighter – Seraphina West – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Message Carrier – Emily Schaeffer – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Outlaw – Miriam Crews – Read on the Student Forum »
The Traitor’s Sunstone – Felicity Edwards – Not available to read
2018
1st Place: Say Uncle – Rosey Mucklestone – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Hearthfoot – Victoria Shanks – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Forgotten Flame – Michal Garner – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Chasing Phantoms – Abby Anderson – Read on the Student Forum »
The Questers – Nicole DeBenon – Read on the Student Forum »
2017
1st Place: R.E.M. – Ashley Schaller – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: To Kidnap DNA – Lydia DeGisi – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: The Stonecrest Existential Crisis Club – Sam Cooper – Not available to read
Finalists (not ranked)
Agram Awakens – Aidan Bender – Read on the Student Forum »
Evik – Emily Schaeffer – Read on the Student Forum »
Starless Nights – M. R. Shupp – Not available to read
2016
1st Place: Chromeheads – Jake Buller – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Ten of Hearts – Joy Audens – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Hattie – Elisabeth Newton – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Show Me the Way – Meredith Lundell – Not available to read
Silhouettes: The Un-Telling of Peter Pan – Jamie Dougall – Read on the Student Forum »
Small Hands’ Flight – Charlotte Anderson – Read on the Student Forum »
2015
1st Place: Factory Rats – Catsi Eceer – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: The Monster Upstairs – Elisabeth Newton – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: The Reverse Road – Sam Cooper – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Of Lavron – Ellie Gardiner – Read on the Student Forum »
Somnia – Amy Nickelsen – Read on the Student Forum »
Wings of Dust – Charlotte Anderson – Read on the Student Forum »
2014
1st Place: The Witch’s Cat – Miguel Flores – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Under the Weather – Sam Cooper – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Children of Ashes – Justin Ferguson – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Pitch Black Stars – Catsi Eceer – Read on the Student Forum »
When the Stars Are Singing – Meredith West – Read on the Student Forum »
2013
1st Place: Blue Sky Burnt – Erynn Besse – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Redemption – Annika Lee – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Broken Glass King – Abby Walsh – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalist (not ranked)
Dangerous Games – Emily Haan – Read on the Student Forum »
Flightless – Bethany Ingham – Read on the Student Forum »
Indumentum Oris – Verity Rising – Read on the Student Forum »
2012
1st Place: Bitter Magic – Collin Anne Suttle – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Hosanna House – Hannah Mills – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Quintessence – Rachel Garner – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Heirborne – Braden Russell – Read on the Student Forum »
Survivor One – Richard LaRue – Read on the Student Forum »
Shining Stars – Wynter Croix – Read on the Student Forum »
Chatoyant – Sarah Seifert – Not available to read
2011
1st Place: Snapshots – Matthew Lauser – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Project Theta – Kyle de Waal – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Deep Six – Collin Anne Suttle – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Archipelago – Sophia Debusschere – Read on the Student Forum »
Forewarned – Rebekah Swank – Read on the Student Forum »
My Lady – Grace Debusschere – Read on the Student Forum »
Sightless – Miguel Flores – Read on the Student Forum »
Speak Aloud, Scream Alone – Read on the Student Forum »
2010
1st Place: Recollections – Janae Leeke – Read on Student Forum »
2nd Place: Becoming Human – Jared Schmitz – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: My Father’s Dream – Sarah Wacker – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Sacrifice – Collin Anne Suttle – Read on the Student Forum »
The Fly by Night – Kyle de Waal – Read on the Student Forum »
Out of Darkness – Sarah Noé – Read on the Student Forum »
Of Princesses and Dragons – Grace Garner – Read on the Student Forum »
Offset – Matthew Lauser – Read on the Student Forum »
2009
1st Place: Kytt’s Tale – Carlie Gernhart – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Of Self and Sacrifice – Elizabeth Lobach – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Allemande – Lydia DeWolf – Read on the Student Forum »
Finalists (not ranked)
Forest of Lies – Rachel Garner – Read on the Student Forum »
Knights in Red Coats – Jane Johnson – Read on the Student Forum »
Child of Darkness, Child of Light – Rachel Werner – Read on the Student Forum »
Prince of Thertine – Grace Garner – Read on the Student Forum »
2008
1st Place: Averill – Lydia DeWolf – Read on the Student Forum »
2nd Place: Fable Weaver – Carlie Gernhart – Read on the Student Forum »
3rd Place: Betsy Flowain – Rachel Garner – Read on the Student Forum »