Congratulations to all 2024 Writing Contest Winners
Brancart Fiction Prize - $600
Judge: Melissa Seley '04 (CCS Literature)
Winner: Maya Johnson '25 (CCS Writing and Literature), “Stacking Napkins”
“It’s a terrific story. Formally concise. Tender yet quietly tense. Compact and conversational yet erudite, soulful. There was so much great work in this folder! But this story stood out as one that had found its footing on all the levels; a work of fiction as singular and self-contained as it is fully imagined.”
Richardson Poetry Prize - $400
Judge: Wes Holtermann '12 (CCS Literature)
Winner: Sean Fina ‘27 (L&S English), “The First Cow”
“It's a small poem, rich and strange, but it stuck with me. This poet has an instinctual feel for using the musicality of language to heighten the image. I thought it was just about a perfect poem, and I'm excited to read more from this writer someday.”
CCS Most Excellent Narrative Prose
Judge: Vivian Walman-Randall '22 (CCS Writing & Literature)
Winner, $35: Sophia Quinto ‘26 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Return”
Runner-Up, $25: Sasha Senal ‘24 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Kill Time”
Honorable Mentions, $15:
- Avalon Lee ‘26 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Everywhere, North”
- Tia Trinh ‘25 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Lucky Lettuce”
- Sophie Najm ‘25 (CCS Writing & Literature), “The Hum”
CCS Most Excellent Poetry Prize
Judge: Carson Young '22 (CCS Writing & Literature)
Winner, $35: Tomas Cordero ‘25, “A Picture Drawn in Chalk”
Runner-Up, $25: Maren Reed ‘24 (L&S English), “Angels Played Ball in Palm Springs”
Honorable Mentions, $15:
- Maya Salem ‘24 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Blackford Hill,” “Sprinkles of Autumn,” and “Cramond Island”
- Yuriko Chavez ‘24 (L&S Chicana and Chicano Studies), “pink holiday”
- Olive Howden ‘25 (L&S Psychological & Brain Sciences), “Silence”
CCS Most Excellent Essay Prize
Judge: Alex Scordelis '04 (CCS Literature)
Winner, $35: Maya Johnson ‘25 (CCS Writing & Literature), “Revitalizing Santa Barbara’s Commitment to Rehabilitative Justice”
Runner-Up, $25: Ryan Grant ‘25 (L&S Film and Media Studies), “Journalism and Mainstream Media’s Effect on Democracy”
Honorable Mentions, $15:
- Margaret Gray ‘26 (CCS Writing & Literature) , “The Silent System”
- Josie Hurwitz ‘24 (L&S Sociology) , “Prison Abolitionism Explained”
- Laurel Sheard ‘25 (L&S English), “Uncovering Yeats: A Discussion of Love, Jealousy, and Growth in “The Circus Animals’ Desertion”