Congratulations to all 2025 Writing Contest Winners
Brancart Fiction Prize - $600
Judge: Vianna C. Mossman '20 (CCS Writing & Literature)
Winner: Sofia Mosqueda '25 (CCS Writing and Literature), “I Was There When You’d Cry”
“Good fiction keeps you up at night. Good fiction takes no risks. 'I Was There When You’d Cry' kept me up at night, and inspired me to take more risks with my own work. From jaw-dropping one-liners to capturing emotions with a visceral honesty, it’s the kind of writing that makes you want to meet the author and ask them why they wrote the story in the first place.”
Richardson Poetry Prize - $400
Judge: Amelia Rodriguez '21 (CCS Writing & Literature)
Winner: Audrey Lin ‘27 (CCS Writing & Literature), “ “Beckon” and “The Inaugural Taco Bell of China”
“Paired as a set, these quietly moving poems do the brilliant work of showcasing both the poet's playful, nimble command of language and their storytelling prowess. Affection and ambiguity, repetition and innovation—powerful contrasts are at play in both poems, especially a feat within such taut work.”
M. Garren Tinney Nonfiction Prize - $500
Judge: Komal Surani '20 (L&S Film and Media Studies)
Winner: Nina Jekel '25 (L&S Environmental Studies), “2010 Grey Honda Civic, 105k Miles”
“The writing is lyrical, vivid, and beautiful. I’m drawn to the way the writer uses her old car to tell us vignettes about growing up and being terrified of the future, even when it is wide open and waiting for us; the writer skillfully reminds us what we sometimes forget— even objects can feel real, sentimental, and beloved."
CCS Most Excellent Narrative Prose
Judge: Matthew Choi '23 (CCS Writing & Literature)
Winner, $35: Margaret Gray ‘26 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Gemellus’ Soliloquy”
“In Gemellus’ Soliloquy, speech is obfuscated and estranged from the reader; the very building blocks of language that construct this story become twisted into strange names, and gain spiritual power. There's a sense of formal restraint here, a la Bonomini's Novices of Lerna, through which the story's intellectual tone carries the reader into a distant land. Yet, this new setting feels familiar, as if it's a land not so distinct from our own, and it is perhaps this tension of familiarity with estrangement that imbues this story with such beauty.”
Runner-Up, $25: Sofia Mosqueda ‘25 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Abattoir”
Honorable Mentions, $15:
- Kaia Boyer '28 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Couple in Training - Chapter 1”
- Tia Trinh '25 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Dreammaker”
- Makenna Arase ‘27 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Pomba Gira is a Girl Who Never Sleeps Afraid”
CCS Most Excellent Poetry Prize
Judge: Michelle Politiski '21 (CCS Writing & Literature)
Winner, $35: Sophie Najm '25 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Foreword Excerpts
"These entries were visceral and vivid, but also extremely tender and intentionally worded. Each poem reads like it is one of the poet's vital organs. The vulnerability and decisiveness in these poems is magnetic - you can't help but follow where the poet takes you.”
Runner-Up, $25: Yoyo Na Huang '27 (CCS Writing & Literature), “"Viscosity" / "迁坟 | Casket Lifting" / "Botticelli's She-child" / "Counting Luck"”
Honorable Mentions, $15:
- Freddie Baseman '28 (CCS Writing & Literature), “but kiss them first”
- Margaret Gray '26 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Jacob Poem”
- Ari Linder '26 (CCS Writing & Literature), “*flesh meditation”
CCS Most Excellent Essay Prize
Judge: Brenda Tan '21 (CCS Writing & Literature)
Winner, $35: Evelyn Liu '25 (L&S Film and Media Studies), "The Rise of the OVA and the Shaping of 1980s Japanese Consumer Culture"
"I chose this essay because, of the papers I read, it stood out for the originality of
its argumentation, comprehensive research, clear articulation, and its ability to maintain and handle complexity throughout. I was particularly impressed by the essay’s ambition to figure OVAs within a broader narrative of capitalist modernity.”
Runner-Up, $25: Olive Howden ‘25 (L&S Psychology and Brain Sciences), "Are white South Africans oppressed? Trump thinks so. The executive order targeting South Africa’s new land law, explained."
Honorable Mentions, $15:
- Kaia Boyer ‘28 (CCS Writing & Literature), "Character’s Caves: Perception and Connection in Mrs. Dalloway"
- Makenna Arase ‘27 (CCS Writing & Literature), "Order and Noise in Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49; Perception Through Transformation"
- Alicia Kim, “South Korea Caught on Camera: Molka, Illegal Filming, and Digital Sex Crime”