League for Innovation Student Literary Contest
Seattle Colleges Annual Districtwide Contest Accepting Submissions Through March 17, 2024
Each year, the League for Innovation in the Community College invites students from member colleges to participate in the annual Student Literary Competition. This contest enables students to compete with their peers across the United States and Canada and showcases the best works being created by the diverse voices in today's community colleges.
The local competition takes place within Seattle Colleges, including North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, and South Seattle College. Local-level first place winners and honorable mentions receive a cash prize ($100 for first place, $50 for honorable mention) and merit certificate suitable for framing.
First place winners from the local district level in the four categories of Fictional Short Story, One-Act Play, Personal Essay, and Poetry then go on to compete at the international level, this year also hosted by Seattle Colleges. International level prizes include a merit certificate, publication in a high-gloss literary anthology, and $500 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third. The categories of Creative Nonfiction and Spoken Word are part of the local competition only.
graphic designed by Harry Cole, Seattle Central Creative Academy student
Eligibility
To qualify, an entry must be from a student who took at least one credit-based class at Seattle Colleges in the 2023-2024 academic year. The entry must be original but does not have to be from a class assignment. Multiple entries may be submitted, but they must be submitted individually accompanied by an entry form.
Six Literary Categories for Local Competition
The categories are Fiction, One-Act Play, Poetry, and Personal Essay. Entries should be submitted as a Word document along with a completed entry form. The maximum number of words or lines for entries are listed for each category. All entries are final. Copyrights revert back to author.
Submissions to these four categories can advance to the international competition:
- Fictional Short Story: up to 3,500 words
- One-Act Play: up to 3,500 words, including stage direction/production notes
- Personal Essay: up to 2,500 words
- Poetry: up to 67 lines
Two additional categories are open for submission by students attending Seattle Colleges (North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, South Seattle College). These categories are part of the local district competition and are not a part of the international competition:
- Creative Nonfiction: up to 3,500 words
- Spoken Word: a performance up to 3 minutes long - submitted as a video file or a link to an uploaded video. Include also a Microsoft Word document of the poem's text
Contest Entry Information
To enter the contest, you must submit each entry individually with a completed entry form by the deadline of Sunday, March 17, 2024, to the judge at your college.
- North Seattle College, Gregory November, gregory.november@seattlecolleges.edu
- Seattle Central College, Jeb Wyman, jeb.wyman@seattlecolleges.edu
- South Seattle College, Matthew Hitchman, matthew.hitchman@seattlecolleges.edu
Submission Deadline:
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Good luck. Seattle has received at least one first place nationally for ten of the last eleven years. Let’s keep the literary train rolling.
Seattle Colleges is a member of the League for Innovation in the Community College, in recognition of its record of innovation and leadership. Membership provides an opportunity for students to compete with their peers locally and across the continent in annual Literary and Arts competitions.
Recent Award Recipients
Student Literary Contest 2023-2024
Congratulations to this year’s Student Literary Contest awardees. First place awards move on to the international competition. *Two additional categories, Spoken Word and Creative Nonfiction, were open for submission by students attending Seattle Colleges (North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, South Seattle College). These categories were part of the local district competition and not a part of the international competition.
Fiction
- First Place: “Lopez” by Jules Raymond, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “The Sidewalk” by Kimberly Dunham, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Counting Raindrops” by Naomi Brown, South Seattle College
Essay
- First Place: “Futility” by Crystal Kaya, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Feeding the Beast” by Sylvie Sallquist, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Sailing from Hanoi at Dusk” by Annabelle Vu, Seattle Central College
Poetry
- First Place: “Why Dogs Howl” by Linus Elkins, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Lament of a Fallen Star” by Aija Mattice, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “1/5” by Josie Chevalier, Seattle Central College
Drama
No Award
Spoken Word*
- First Place: “Real Eyes” by Douglas Moon, North Seattle College
Creative Nonfiction*
- First Place: “The Breaking of the Wings” by Caroline Recker, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Fork” by Jules Raymond, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “My Favorite Orange” by Douglas Moon, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Galaxios n Kosmos” by El Molinos, Seattle Central College
The faculty judges – Matthew Hitchman, South Seattle College; Gregory November, North Seattle College; and Jeb Wyman, Seattle Central College – want to thank everyone who submitted entries.
2023-24 League for Innovation Student Art and Literary Awards
Fiction
- First Place: “Graveyard House” by Egan Norton, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Sitting Pretty” by Dylan Nicole Hansen, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “The Lovers” by Amira Levine, Seattle Central College
Essay
- First Place: “Girls Only” by Eryn Sallee, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “The Last Time I Spoke to My Father” by Kareena Lauer, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Prosaic” by Kaleb Trunnell, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Release: 2013 (2023)” by Callaghan Crook, Seattle Central College
One-Act Play
No Award
Poetry
- First Place: “sour plums with salt” by Elahe Zare, South Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Museum” by Zoe Bricker, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Dish Pit” by Josephine Chevalier, Seattle Central College
The faculty judges – Matthew Hitchman, South Seattle College; Gregory November, North Seattle College; and Jeb Wyman, Seattle Central College – want to thank everyone who submitted entries.
2022-23 League for Innovation Student Art Competition and Student Literary Contest Awards
International Contest Awards
- Poetry First Place: “sour plums with salt” by Elahe Zare, South Seattle College
- Personal Essay Second Place: “Girls Only” by Eryn Sallee, Seattle Central College
Fiction
- First Place: “Motherhood” by Sarah Wheeler, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Flows Like Water” by Odin Kushnick, North Seattle College
One-Act Play
- First Place: “Death’s Door” by Mulch Morwell, Seattle Central College
Personal Essay
- First Place: “Playing Possession” by Jules Vanselow, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “A Lesson in Humility” by Hannah Hill, South Seattle College
Poetry
- First Place: “Golden Flesh” by Clarissa Perez, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Come Back By” by Amanda Guzman, South Seattle College
- Honorable Mention: “Working in the Endless Disaster” by Maya Pearson, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention: “Drawn by the Sky” by Salina Tedesse, North Seattle College
2021-22 League for Innovation Student Literary Contest and Student Art Competition Award Winners
Seattle Colleges Students Earn Awards at International Art and Literary Contests
International Contest Awards
- Fiction First Place: “Motherhood” by Sarah Wheeler, Seattle Central College
- Poetry First Place: “Golden Flesh” by Clarissa Perez, Seattle Central College
Fiction
- First Place – “Coconut Chat” by Sheldon Etibek, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “King of the Fruit Festival” by Allegra Keys, South Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “The Truths That Aren’t Forgiven” by Grace Kenny, Seattle Central College
One-Act Play
- First Place – “Sun” by Natalie Shih, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Infra Agua” by Natalie McCoy, North Seattle College
Personal Essay
- First Place – “I’m Growing It Out” by Emil Krystad, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Ripping the Band Aid” by Nicole Sawyer, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Regret” by Chloe Lashua, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Unstable: Reflections of a Bipolar Girl” by Claire Bedsworth, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Up in Smoke” by Isiah Tolson, Seattle Central College
Poetry
- First Place – “Love in the Dark” by Allegra Keys, South Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Fear” by Parker Redeker, South Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “A Tic” by Reid Lauzon, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Dear Mother” by Zoe Bricker, North Seattle College
Fiction
- First Place – “Chlorine” by Thet (Alex) Hnin Su, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Arcanum” by Colin J. Lamb, South Seattle College
Personal Essay
- First Place – “The Wall” by Kathleen Welch, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “On Building Ships” by John Jacobson, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Homeless in Seattle” by Susan Ordonio, South Seattle College
Poetry
- First Place – “'41 Cadillac” by Tanner Boutwell, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “The Limp” by Morgan Wigmore, Seattle Central College
- Honorable Mention – “Love Poem For An Aquarius” by Lori Bellamy, North Seattle College
- Honorable Mention – “Love Stories from Franklin St” by Caleb Luce, South Seattle College
2019-2020 Student Literary Award Competition National Winners Anthology
International Contest Awards
- Poetry First Place: “'41 Cadillac” by Tanner Boutwell, Seattle Central College