KET is pleased to announce the winners of its 2018 Young Writers Contest. The annual contest encourages creative expression and literacy development by inviting students in kindergarten through eighth grade to submit original illustrated stories, short stories and poetry.

This year, KET received more than 1,200 submissions, representing more than 280 schools from 17 states.

“Our KET team was impressed by the talent and creativity reflected in the entries we received – so much so that for the first time, we are naming not only the three top winners in each category but also multiple finalists whose work, we felt, was also worthy of recognition,” said Tonya Crum, KET’s senior director of education.

The top three winners, along with a list of finalists for each grade division, are listed below. A listing of winners and finalists is also available online at KET.org/writerscontest.

Kindergarten

1st place: Sophia Cambron, Louisville, Ky., St. Patrick School, The Runaway School Supplies

2nd place: Hudson Smith, Lexington, Ky., Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, Jack’s Crystals

3rd place: Eric Clark, Madisonville, Ky., Hanson Elementary, The Three Trolls and the Bully Goat

Finalists:

• Demi Brown, Paducah, Ky., Symsonia Elementary
• Vihaan Deshmukh, Robbinsville, N.J., Sharon Elementary
• Raiyan Elmerse, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Stella Heathcoat, Lexington, Ky., The Lexington School
• Cooper O’Bryan, Oil Springs, Ky., Highland Elementary
• Kaitlin Pater, Harrodsburg, Ky., Homeschooled
• Isa Sumner, Lexington, Ky., Clays Mill Elementary

First Grade

1st place: Ryan Maya, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, The Stuck Rock

2nd place: Lucas Glasnovic, Louisville, Ky., Homeschooled, Sneaky’s Adventure

3rd place: Jonah Howard, Mt. Sterling, Ky., Mt. Sterling Elementary, A Rooster Named Chicken

Finalists:

• Ellery Chamberland, Lexington, Ky., Christ the King School
• Alice Dobson, Louisville, Ky., J. Graham Brown School
• Ibraheem Gauhar, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Annabelle Moorman, Louisville, Ky., St. Martha School
• Samantha Patten, Richmond, Ky., Homeschooled
• Jack Reinecke, Cold Spring, Ky., Cline Elementary
• Connor Rupard, Taylorsville, Ky., Spencer Co. Elementary
• Awab Samman, Prospect, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Bennett Seaton, West Paducah, Ky., Clark Elementary
• Mason Thomas, Taylorsville, Ky., Spencer Co. Elementary
• Sufyan White, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville

Second Grade

1st place: Adah Hardin, Avawam, Ky., Homeschooled, The Little Rocking Chair    

2nd place: Cameron Fancher, Hamilton, Ohio, Endeavor Elementary, Change of Heart

3rd place: Silas Loeschen, Louisville, Ky., Homeschooled, The Friendly Skeleton

Finalists:

• Hayyan Ahmad, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Tamara Bootes, Louisville, Ky., Zachary Taylor Elementary
• Jemma Carroll, Hopkinsville, Ky., Indian Hills Elementary
• Dakota Duckworth, North Little Rock, Ark., Capital City Lighthouse Charter School
• Owen Gravett, Harrodsburg, Ky., Mercer Elementary
• Maryam Huda Hasnain, Goshen, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Allyson Kegebein, Lexington, Ky., Stonewall Elementary
• Ebony Lee, North Little Rock, Ark., Capital City Lighthouse Charter School
• Lucille Ott, Shelbyville, Ky., St. Aloysius Catholic School
• Tessa Tornetto, Jackson, Mo., Immaculate Conception School
• Michael Watkins, North Little Rock, Ark., Capital City Lighthouse Charter School

Third Grade

1st place: Sarah Gauhar, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, All About My Ramadan

2nd place: Abdulrahman Abdul-Jabbar, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, The Ambitious Boy

3rd place: Zaineb Elmerse, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, My Beautiful American Road Trip

Finalists:

• Arrumaisha Albar, Houston, Tx., Homeschooled
• Haasini Beeram, Lexington, Ky., Wellington Elementary
• Breanna Herald, Richmond, Ky., Kit Carson Elementary
• Bhumika Rana, Lexington, Ky., Wellington Elementary
• Abdul Rahman Said, Prospect, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Sudie Snowden, Louisville, Ky., Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School
• Lauren Spraggins, Lexington, Ky., Lexington Christian Academy

Fourth Grade

1st place: Zella (Claire) Myatt, Mount Hermon, Ky., Gamaliel Elementary, Ruby, the Chicken Fashionista

2nd place: Mileigh Kilburn, Garrett, Ky., May Valley Elementary, Egypt Here I Come

3rd place: Kyle Baird, Shepherdsville, Ky., Pleasant Grove Elementary, Archer’s Confidence

Finalists:

• Erin Cooley, Louisville, Ky., Dunn Elementary
• Lucy Donohue, Louisville, Ky., St. Agnes
• Cora Fogle, Bardstown, Ky., St. Joseph, Bardstown
• Benjamin Gollar, Fort Mitchell, Ky., Beechwood Elementary
• Bailey Kaiser, Louisville, Ky., Dunn Elementary
• Anna McWaters, Louisville, Ky., Dunn Elementary
• Elle Osborne, Bardstown, Ky., St. Joseph, Bardstown
• Shay Roy-Lewis, Middletown, Wis.., Elm Lawn Elementary
• Marisa Thompson, Crestwood, Ky., Kenwood Station Elementary
• Charles Woeste, Louisville, Ky., Dunn Elementary

Fifth Grade

1st place: Annabelle Rossi, Winchester, Ky., R5 Academy Homeschool, Tethered

2nd place: Savannah Belcher, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA at Bluegrass, The Sound of Joy

3rd place: Cecily Smith, Frankfort, Ky., Capital Day School, Ze Mouse and Ze Cheese

Finalists:

• Jessica Armentano, Georgetown, Ky., Christ Centered Pupils
• Samantha Booth, Greenville, In., Homeschooled
• Allison Capley, Lexington, Ky., Ashland Elementary
• Colson Duff, Vanceburg, Ky., Lewis Co. Central
• Cheyenne Loflin, Elizabethtown, Ky., Heartland Elementary
• Aisha Rashid, Austin, Texas, River Ridge Elementary
• Eleanor Reilly, Hebron, Ky., Thornwilde Elementary
• Sophie Watson, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA at Bluegrass

 Sixth Grade

1st place: Ella Denton, Frankfort, Ky., Second Street School, Where I’m From

2nd place: Elizabeth Howard, Louisville, Ky., Noe Middle School, Nature’s Art: A Series of Haikus

3rd place: JaZarion Robinson, Lexington, Ky., Leestown Middle School, Back to Now

Finalists:

• Zoe Breitigan, Lexington, Ky., Beaumont Middle School
• Owen Cody, Paducah, Ky., Lone Oak Middle School
• Daphne Floyd, Paducah, Ky., Lone Oak Middle School
• Kelly Keniston, Lexington, Ky., Leestown Middle School
• Shannon Okpebholo, Lexington, Ky., Providence Montessori
• Adrien Osborn Kell, Lexington, Ky., Southern Middle School
• Emma Perkins, Grayson, Ky., East Carter Middle School

Seventh Grade

1st place: Kendall Pullum, Henderson, Ky., South Middle School, Ode to My Math Nerd

2nd place: Rochelle Garcia-Perez, Nicholasville, Ky., West Jessamine Middle School, The Best of Family Summers

3rd place: Kathleen Bauer, Lexington, Ky., Leestown Middle School, Distortive Mirror

Finalists:

• Madison Barton, Clearfield, Ky., Lakeside Christian Academy
• Thomas Broughton, Vanceburg, Ky., Lewis County Middle
• Molly Gifford, Olive Hill, Ky., Homeschool
• Sabrina LeBleu, Suwanee, Ga., Riverwatch Middle
• Dallas Muir, Louisville, Ky., Brown School

Eighth Grade

1st place: Elizabeth Klein, Louisville, Ky., J. Graham Brown School, Scents of Fresh Paper

2nd place: Alessandra Samuels, Lexington, Ky., Leestown Middle School, Weird Little Sock

3rd place: Sarah Wilson, Murray, Ky., Calloway County Middle School, Freedom

Finalists:

• Lukas Andrews, Olive Hill, Ky., Elliott Co. Middle
• Charles Cochran, Lexington, Ky., Mars Hill Academy
• Milo Golding, Mount Sterling, Ky., Lakeside Christian
• Paige Kight, Paducah, Ky., Paducah Middle School
• Bayan Saleh, Louisville, Ky., Newburg Middle
• Kiera Taylor, Murray, Ky., Murray Middle
• Margaret Tiennot, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA

KET is Kentucky’s largest classroom, where learning comes to life for more than one million people each week via television, online and mobile. Learn more about KET Education resources and services at KET.org/education and on Twitter @EducationKET.

Contact:

Todd Piccirilli
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
859-258-7242
tpiccirilli@ket.org