The San Antonio Book Festival (SABF) has announced nine winners from among 175 entries across 40 schools throughout Bexar County for its third annual fiction writing contest. Young writers from grades 7 to 12 were asked to showcase their creativity and storytelling abilities on the theme of “Not All Heroes Wear Capes.”
Selena Flores, a 7th grader at Rhodes Middle School, won first place in the 7th/8th grade division for her story “Here on a Winter Day.” AnaÏs Nuñez-Tovar, a 10th grader at Providence Catholic School, won first place in the 9th/10th grade division for her story “Strength for Another.” In the 11th/12th grade division, Niraja Surendran, an 11th grader at Ronald Reagan High School, won first place for her story “Bear.”
“The quality of the winning submissions this year was outstanding,” said fiction contest co-chair Shannon Stephens. “It’s a reflection on an entire community of teachers, librarians, educators, and families who encourage these bright kids to work on their stories and submit.”
First place winners receive an array of prizes. In addition to a cash prize of $250 for themselves and $500 for their schools, they get their story published in the Texas Cavaliers program and ride in the Cavaliers float in the River Parade. Whataburger also provides meals for one year to the first place winners. The three winning students were surprised today in their classrooms with balloons and cookies by Texas Cavaliers and the San Antonio Book Festival Fiction Contest Committee: co-chairs Shannon Stephens and Mark Kimberley; Alex Layman, Sherry Layman, Lilly Gonzalez, and Katy Flato.
“The Texas Cavaliers are proud to once again sponsor this event that matches our mission of helping to improve the lives of San Antonio children,” said Cavaliers King Antonio, R. Hunt Winton III. “The Book Festival and San Antonio Public Library Foundation do a tremendous job of encouraging and fostering the love of reading and writing in our children. This contest is just one of those programs.”
Second place winners will receive $150 and third place winners $100. All nine winners will be recognized at a special awards program at the San Antonio Book Festival on April 2. The winning stories can be read below. For a full list of finalists, click here.
(Selena Flores, SABF Fiction Contest winner, 7th/8th grade division, and Texas Cavaliers)
7th/8th GRADE DIVISION:
1st Place – Selena Flores, “Here on a Winter Day,” Rhodes Middle School, 7th grade
2nd Place – Katharine Stevens, “The Lonely, Little, Old Lady,” St. Luke’s Episcopal School, 8th grade
3rd Place – Jacinta Murillo, “Tree of Everything,” Stevenson Middle School, 8th grade
(Anaïs Nuñez-Tovar, SABF Fiction Contest winner, 9th/10th grade division, and Texas Cavaliers King Antonio, R. Hunt Winton III)
9th/10th GRADE DIVISION:
1st Place – Anaïs Nuñez-Tovar, “Strength for Another”, Providence Catholic School, 10th grade
2nd Place – Elisabeth Wang, “The Hero Takes a Fall”, Health Careers High School, 9th grade
3rd Place – Dillon Reyes, “A Doting Mother,” NESA, 9th grade
(Niraja Surendran, SABF Fiction Contest winner, 11th/12th grade division, and Texas Cavalier Clay Carrington)
11th/12th GRADE DIVISION:
1st Place – Niraja Surendran, “Bear”, Ronald Reagan High School, 11th grade
2nd Place – Meagan Folmar, “Lost in Silence”, Robert G. Cole High School, 12th grade
3rd Place – Zoe Skye Herrera Ramirez, “Rabbit”, NESA, 12th grade
