The Utah Division of Arts & Museums and the SLCC Community Writing Center have chosen 18 writers in seven categories as the winners of the 61st annual Utah Original Writing Competition.
The winners were selected from a total of 291 entries from Utah-based writers.
Category A: Novel, judged by Roy Scranton
* First Place: The Prayer of St. Francis, by Travis Petersen (Salt Lake City)
* Second Place: New Baby, by Iris Moulton (Salt Lake City)
* Honorable Mention: Rush, by Larry Menlove (Payson)
Category B: Creative Nonfiction Book, judged by Tessa Fontaine
* First Place: Non, by Iris Moulton (Salt Lake City)
* Second Place: Who will water the flowers, by Calvin Jolley (Salt Lake City)
* Honorable Mention: Whore’s Blood, by Marilynn Rockelman (Salt Lake City)
Category C: Book-length Collection of Short Stories, judged by Erika Wurth
* First Place: Good-Day Haircut and Other Stories, by Ranjan Adiga (North Salt Lake)
* Second Place: This Will Be on the Exam, by Jeremy Spencer Rees (Provo)
* Honorable Mention: The Companion Claws, by Larry Menlove (Payson)
Category D: Young Adult Book, judged by Lanre Akinsiku
* First Place: Space for Nothing Else, by Steven Johnson (Salt Lake City)
* Second Place: Welcome to Foxmouth, by Lesley Hart Gunn (Provo)
* Honorable Mention: Mastermind, by Kristen Evans (Salt Lake City)
Category E: Poetry, judged by John Lee Clark
* First Place: Untitled, by Cindy King (St. George)
* Second Place: “Aperitifs,” by Brian Gray (Salt Lake City)
* Honorable Mention: Untitled, by Britt Allen (Logan)
Category F: Short Story, judged by Carol Guess
* First Place: “Bird Off a Barbed Wire,” by Tessa Barkan (Boulder)
*Second Place: “Day One,” by Kristen Evans (Salt Lake City)
* Honorable Mention: “The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel,” by Leah Fretwell (Lehi)
Category G: Creative Nonfiction Essay, judged by Steven Church
* First Place: “In the Aftermath, Redemption,” by Naomi Clegg (Salt Lake City)
* Second Place: “Wool Girl,” by Natalie Hopkins (Lehi)
* Honorable Mention: “Pierced,” by Andrew Romriell (Sandy)
There will be an event celebrating Utah writers and the Original Writing Competition on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, from 6-8 p.m. via Zoom. There will be an awards ceremony and readings by previous competition winners.
UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Categories: Literary Arts | Recognized
