We are proud of our students’ passion for storytelling and writing, and we congratulate all participants for sharing their work and contributing to another outstanding year of literary achievement.
Visual Storytelling
1st Place: “T1D PSA” by Bethany Morley
2nd Place: “Where Has All the Shade Gone” by Kate Bodwell
3rd Place: “She Was There” by Shirley Sauber
Honorable Mentions: “Lilium” by Preston Houghton and “The Person Beyond the Screen” by Sofia Quiroz
Screenwriting
1st Place: “Fault Line” by Katie Kipp
2nd Place: “The Body Double” by Bethany Morley
3rd Place: “Echo” by Norah Prewitt and Carter York
Honorable Mentions: “The Witch Trials” by Olivia Guo and “Looking Beyond” by Sofia Quiroz
Narrative Nonfiction
1st Place: “My Name” by Sorina Maskara
2nd Place: “Cobblestone Streets” by Elaine Engel
3rd Place: “A Spark of Change” by Emma Miller
Honorable Mentions: “Irony” by Kennedy Hayes and “The Day My Father Taught Me How to Stay” by Jefferson Lee
Short Fiction
1st Place: “After the Beep” by Ishaana Singh
2nd Place: “107 Days” by Benjamin Abernathy
3rd Place: “The House That Waited” by Jefferson Lee
Honorable Mentions: “The Now” by Kennedy Hayes, “Once When Lilac” by Zimo Zhan, and “Blue Canary” by Will Vineyard
Special Honorable Mention: “Blessed Be” by Ava Thropp for crossover between poetry and fiction
Poetry
1st Place: “The Bruise” by William McMullin
2nd Place: “Questions I Ask to Keep Our Conversation Going” by Catherine Young
3rd Place Tie: “Care for Me” by Erin Muse and “The Quiet Things” by Bethany Morley
Honorable Mentions: “Platform at Midnight” by Nirvan Kandel and “Second Serve” by Clive Curry
The HP LitFest Student Awards Breakfast was held on Tuesday, April 28. HP LitFest extends its gratitude to its 2025–2026 sponsors for making this programming possible, including La Fiesta de Las Seis Banderas, HPHS PTA, HP Arts, PC TAG, and the many HPISD families who contributed during BSSU and throughout the year.
For more information about HP LitFest, visit HPLitFest.com or follow HP LitFest on Instagram at @hpliteraryfestival.