English Department Essay, Poetry Contest Winners

The East Central College English Department sought student entries for the annual Poetry and Research Writing Contest.

In the poetry category, Grace Sellers received first-place honors for, “Rice Crispy Knees.”

In the research essay category, first place was awarded to Clara Curtmann for, “Why Beijing Should Not Host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.”

Both first-place recipients received $100 in prize money. Second-place winners were given $50, and third-place winners received $25.

Josh Stroup, instructor and English department chair, thanked the esteemed judges Patsy Watts, Linda Barro and Bob Mahon, as well as everyone who submitted to this contest, and those who helped spread the word about the contest.

“If you know any of these students, please reach out and give them a rowdy congrats! They deserve it,” Stroup said. “We hope to have a version of the Art & Lit Review out soon, so you can read these award-winning works.”

The English department will host a Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction contest in the fall.

Listed below are the winners in both categories, followed by the title of the work.

Poetry Winners                                                      

First place — Grace Sellers, “Rice Crispy Knees.”

Second place — Ben Brennell, “Mein Kampf, Die Krieg” (A Found Poem).

Third place — Udanthi Walker-Wallace, “Math Destruction.”

Honorable Mentions — Michaela Plumb, “August’s End” and “Found Hope” (A Found Poem).

 Research Essay Winners

First place — Clara Curtmann, “Why Beijing Should Not Host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.”

Second place — Emily Green, “Standardized Testing is Destroying the Soul of Creativity in Today’s Students.”

Third place — Sarah Harris, “Caffeine: Why It Should Have More Restrictions.”