2013 Winners

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2013 SouthWest Writers Annual Writing Competition

2013 Storyteller Award Goes To

Laura Keller
Making Sense of Us

Laura Keller won the $1500 grand prize Storyteller Award, as well as first place in the Juvenile/Young Adult Novel category for her entry.

The following is a list of winners by category and place standing.

1. Mainstream/Literary Novel

1st Place: Norma Libman, Placitas, NM   Lonely River Village

2nd Place: John White, Merritt Island, FL   Nisei

3rd Place: Tom Moore, Bellingham, WA   The Heifer Girl

Judge: Nicole LaBombard, Rees Literary Agency, Boston, MA

2. Mystery/Suspense/Thriller/Adventure Novel

1st Place: Kevin Dyer, Antrim, Northern Ireland   Deadtown

2nd Place: Dennis Jung, Santa Fe, NM   Jack of All Trades

3rd Place: Bill Brier, Thousand Oaks, CA   The Killer Who Hated Soup

Judge: Paul Fedorko, N.S. Bienstock, Inc., New York, NY

3. Juvenile/Young Adult Novel

1st Place: Laura Keller, Overland Park, KS   Making Sense of Us

2nd Place: Stephanie Kroepfl, Grand Lake, CO   I Hear You

3rd Place: Amanda Searcy, Albuquerque, NM   A Boy and His Frog

Judge: Gemma Cooper, The Bent Agency, Brooklyn, NY

4. Historical/Western Novel

1st Place: Donavon Day, Sacramento, CA   A Lumber Baron’s Fury

2nd Place: James Scarantino, Albuquerque, NM   The Bone Pile

3rd Place: Mark Warren, Dahlonega, GA   Adobe Moon

Judge: Bridget Smith, Dunham Literary, Inc., New York, NY

5. Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Short Story

1st Place: K. Eisert, Placitas, NM   “Primus V. Secundus”

2nd Place: KL Wagoner, Albuquerque, NM   “Wishling”

3rd Place: Marian Meyer, Albuquerque, NM   “Another Jennifer Day”

Judge: Kristopher O’Higgins, The Scribe Agency, Madison, WI

6. Mainstream/Literary Short Story

1st Place: Ben Wuamett, Albuquerque, NM   “Ben’s Story”

2nd Place: Gary Smith, Rio Rancho, NM   “Cattle Call”

3rd Place: Tucker Brown, Las Cruces, NM   “The Trees Do Bear Witness”

Judge: Phong Nguyen, Editor, Pleaides, University of Central Missouri

7. Nonfiction Book Proposal

1st Place: Roger Bunch, Santa Cruz, CA   Wenceslao

2nd Place: Larry Greenly, Albuquerque, NM   Snake Island

3rd Place: Marguerite Kearns, Santa Fe, NM   More Than Tea and Talk

Judge: Gina Panettieri, Talcott Notch Literary Services, LLC, Milford, CT

8. Memoir

1st Place: Stella Pevsner, Albuquerque, NM   Roommates With a View

2nd Place: Joan Kraft, La Mesa, CA   Untwined

3rd Place: Val Valentine, Pagosah, CO   Through His Eyes

Judge: Lindsay Edgecombe, Levine|Greenberg Literary Agency, New York, NY

9. Essay

1st Place: Heather Gemmen Wilson, Markleville, IN   “Her World, So Big”

2nd Place: Hillary Fields, Santa Fe, NM   “A Horse Named Pockets”

3rd Place: KL Wagoner, Albuquerque, NM   “Dressing the Dead”

Judge: Tim McKee, Managing Editor, The Sun, Chapel Hill, NC

10. Children’s Picture Book

1st Place: Linda Tripp, Albuquerque, NM   Old Mama Crocodile

2nd Place: Monica Harris, Kalamazoo, MI   Grapevine Zoo

3rd Place: Randi Mrvos, Lexington, KY   Cholla, the True Story of an Artsy Horse

Judge: Stephanie Hedlund, Editorial Director, ABDO Publishing Group, Edina, MN

11. Screenplay

1st Place: Kimberly Kiegel, Albuquerque, NM   The Fortune

2nd Place: Briley Webb, Scottsdale, AZ   Casa in the Desert

3rd Place: Kate McCusker, Wickenburg, AZ   Guadalupe Night

Judge: Douglas Eboch, screenwriter, Los Angeles, CA

12. Poetry

1st Place: Carolyn Madero, Stamford, CT   “Would You Like to Hear My Poem?”

2nd Place: Catherine Ferguson, Galisteo, NM   “Breaking Down in the Desert”

3rd Place: Ellen Seusy, Columbus, OH   “Preparing the New Teacher: Letter from an Urban District”

Judge: Timothy Green, Editor, Rattle, Studio City, CA