VALDOSTA – Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts and its Young Writers League hosted the Third Annual Art of Writing Contest sponsored by Guardian Bank, Greater Valdosta United Way, The Valdosta Daily Times and Snake Nation Press.

Middle and high school students in Valdosta, South Georgia and the surrounding areas were invited to participate in the contest, center representatives said in a statement.

More than 200 submissions were received based on the 2023 theme “I Have a Dream.”

“The Turner Center for the Arts is pleased to host this annual Art of Writing competition and are pleased the participation from students across our region and beyond,” said Sementha Mathews, Turner Center executive director. “Young people who possess good writing skills will often become better communicators in other areas of expression. Our goal for all of our youth programs is to enrich and educate our young people through the arts and we congratulate the brave students who embraced this opportunity.”

Contest winners received more than $2,500 in cash prizes and, in May, will receive a copy of the anthology, which includes the works of the winners and all honorable mentions. Winners and honorable mentions of the 2023 “Art of Writing” contest are:

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Non-Fiction

Mia Villanueva, Valdosta Middle School, first place.

Leah Sinclair, St. John’s Catholic School, second place.

Scarlette Gomez Parra, Valdosta Early College Academy, third place.

Sara Daugharty, Valwood School, honorable mention.

Fiction

Emmerson Shiver, Lowndes Middle School, first place.

Michaelah Ferguson, Valdosta Early College Academy, second place.

Anaiah Powell, Powell Homeschool Academy, third place.

Beth Morris, Lanier County Middle School, honorable mention.

Poetry

Souad Dennis, St. John’s Catholic School, first place.

Carolyn Griner, Valwood School, second place.

Ashlynn Divoll, Eighth Street Middle School, third place.

Hayvyn Forrest, Valdosta Early College Academy, honorable mention.

Kreea Chakraborty, Valwood School, honorable mention.

HIGH SCHOOL

Non-Fiction

Ray Moody, Valdosta High School, first place.

Patrick Wallace, Valdosta High School, second place.

Fletcher Adams, Valdosta High School, third place.

Takshkumar Patel; Valdosta High School, honorable mention.

Fiction

Hudson Hsu, Valwood School, first place.

Lauren Pickett, Georgia Connections Academy, second place.

Cadence Bellant, Lowndes High School, third place.

Amelia Nutting, Valdosta High School, honorable mention.

Poetry

Jessica Mohanty, Valdosta High School, first place.

MaKenzie Alexander, Lowndes High School, second place.

Khalandrea Council, Valdosta Early College Academy, third place.

Erin Yoo, Lowndes High School, honorable mention.

The contest was judged by volunteers from Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, Valdosta State University, The Valdosta Daily Times and other South Georgia writers.

“The Turner Center thanks Dean Poling, Jim Zachary, Adam Setser, Matt Flummerfelt, Dr. Eric Blix, Dr. Deborah Hall, Dr. Adam Wood, Dr. Ryan Wander, Dr. Emma Kostopolus, Michael Antonoff, Miriam Jackson, Unoma Azuah and Dr. Cheryl Carvajal for their critical contribution to the Art of Writing contest,” center representatives said.

“We are so pleased with both the number of entrants and the quality of the entries,” Carvajal said. “We can only hope that next year’s contest includes such a creative and meaningful collection from middle and high school writers in all our local schools.”

YoWL, led by Carvajal, allows students to express themselves through written word, improve their writing skills and pursue authorship with contests such as “The Art of Writing.”

Classes take place via the Discord app and are open to writers ages 12-17. The Writer’s League for ages 18-plus also meets through the Discord app, with face-to-face meeting dates to be announced. The Discord app, as well as the YoWL and Writer’s League programs, are free.

The deadline for next year’s Art of Writing contest is Jan. 15, 2024. Full details on the fourth annual contest, including a theme, will be released by the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

For more information, call (229) 247-2787 or visit turnercenter.org.