KET is pleased to announce the winners of its 2019 Young Writers Contest. The annual contest encourages creative expression and literacy development by inviting students in kindergarten through twelfth grade to submit original illustrated stories, short stories and poetry.

This year, KET received more than 1,300 submissions from across Kentucky as well as 22 other states and five countries, including New Zealand, India and Nigeria.

“We were so impressed by the talented student authors and artists who submitted their work this year. We congratulate all the winners, as well as the parents and teachers who have supported them,” said Tonya Crum, KET’s senior director of education.

The top three winners, along with a list of finalists for each grade division and high school poetry type, are listed below. Full versions of the winning K-3rd grade illustrated stories, 4th-5th grade short stories and 6th-12th grade poetry entries will be available online at KET.org/writerscontest.

Kindergarten
1st place: Grace Hardin, Louisville, Ky., Ku’u Ipo Academy (Homeschool), The Bad Jump
2nd place: Channing Seaton, West Paducah, Ky., Clark Elementary School, Tiger Trouble
3rd place: Maryam Gauhar, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, Bamboo Hut

Finalists:

• Sabeeh Ahmad, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Deacon Barnes, Ewing, Va., Yellow Creek School Center
• Gunnar Baumier, Taylorsville, Ky., Spencer County Elementary
• Aiden Blanton, Prestonsburg, Ky., Wesley Christian School
• Raiyan Elmerse, Louisville, Ky., Norton Elementary
• Ali Jaber, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Isaac Jarvis, Paris, Ky., Cane Ridge Elementary School
• Adeline Martin, Taylorsville, Ky., Spencer County Elementary
• Cason Thompson, Salvisa, Ky., YHWH Discipleship

First Grade
1st place: Liam Sweeney, Lexington, Ky., Redwood Cooperative School, Jeffrey Goes Wild
2nd place: Sam Schaeffer, Burlington, Ky., Villa Madonna Academy, Sam and the Zombies
3rd place: Stella Heathcoat, Lexington, Ky., The Lexington School, Climbing to the Moon

Finalists:

• Eliora Archibong, Murray, Ky., Murray Elementary School
• Demi Brown, Paducah, Ky., Symsonia Elementary School
• Jenna Faulkner, Owensboro, Ky., Highland Elementary
• Mila Lequire, Pikeville, Ky., Wesley Christian School
• Will Nevitt, Louisville, Ky., Wheeler Elementary
• Ridge Perry, Franklin, Ky., Simpson Elementary School
• Brycen Saylor, Lynch, Ky., Cumberland Elementary School
• Elise Thompson, Salvisa, Ky., YHWH Discipleship
• Melody Yates, Winchester, Ky., Yates Homeschool Academy

Second Grade
1st place: Ibraheem Gauhar, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, William the Whale        
2nd place: Ryan Maya, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, The True Love
3rd place: Claire Stites, Richmond, Ky., Model Laboratory, Why Am I a Skunk?

Finalists:

• Asher Cohen, Louisville, Ky., The Waldorf School of Louisville
• Alice Dobson, Louisville, Ky., J. Graham Brown School
• Ani Fauver, Louisville, Ky., The Waldorf School of Louisville
• Lucas Glasnovic, Louisville, Ky., Homeschool
• Kimi Keith, Frankfort, Ky., The Frankfort Christian Academy
• Maya Meurer, Louisville, Ky., The Waldorf School of Louisville
• Bennett Seaton, West Paducah, Ky., Clark Elementary School
• Sufyan White, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville

Third Grade
1st place: Adah Hardin, Louisville, Ky., Ku’u Ipo Academy (Homeschool), The Close Encounter
2nd place: Hayan Ahmad, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville, Green and Slither’s Adventure to “The Thunder Over Louisville”
3rd place: Lily Nieman, Owensboro, Ky., Newton Parrish Elementary, The Bully

Finalists:

• Eliana Archibong, Murray, Ky., Murray Elementary School
• Vivian Cox, Peewee Valley, Ky., Sacred Heart Model School
• Huda Hasnain, Goshen, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Clare Herfel, Ft. Thomas, Ky., St. Catherine of Siena
• Kolbey Kohrs, Ft. Thomas, Ky, St. Catherine of Siena
• Sean Sears, Richmond Ky., Kit Carson Elementary
• Owen Tafel, Louisville, Ky., Sacred Heart Model Schol
• Arisa Wolford, Hodgenville, Ky., Hodgenville Elementary School

Fourth Grade
1st place: Allie Holstein, Barbourville, Ky., Central Elementary, Alzheimer’s Art
2nd place: Zaineb Elmerse, Louisville, Ky., Norton Elementary, Kindness of the Heart
3rd place: Lauren Spraggins, Lexington, Ky., Lexington Christian Academy, The Magic Puddle

Finalists:

• Abdulrahman Abdeljaber, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Lousiville
• Evelyn Afenya, Lexington, Ky., Meadowthorpe Elementary
• Lizzie Branham, Prestonsburg, Ky., Wesley Christian School
• Sarah Gauhar, Louisville, Ky., Islamic School of Louisville
• Breanna Herald, Richmond, Ky., Kit Carson Elementary
• Esme Morris, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA at Bluegrass
• Max Springer, LaGrange, Ky., LaGrange Elementary School
• Zetta Toler, Louisville, Ky., Dunn Elementary School
• Connor Zeller, Lexington, Ky., Meadowthorpe Elementary
• Zoe Zhang, Lexington, Ky., Rosa Parks Elementary

Fifth Grade
1st place: Tessa Blain, Leitchfield Ky., H.W. Wilkey Elementary, Raven’s Nest
2nd place: Gabe Resinger, Lexington, Ky., Meadowthorpe Elementary, The Life of a Box
3rd place: Rylie Humphress, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA at Bluegrass, Chasing Venom

Finalists:

• Avneesh Kudrimoti, Lexington, Ky., Meadowthorpe Elementary
• Mahika Kumar, Peachtree City, Ga., Peachtree City Elementary School
• Abby Ladwig, Owensboro, Ky., Newton Parrish Elementary
• Alyssa Pollard, Louisville, Ky., Eisenhower Elementary
• Abigail Ramey, Eddyville, Ky., Ramey School
• Moahnishan Wignakumar, Lexington, Ky., Meadowthorpe Elementary
• Joanna Yates, Winchester, Ky., Yates Homeschool Academy

Sixth Grade
1st place: Hannah McGregor, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA at Bluegrass, Winter is Spring
2nd place: Hannah Cooksey, Louisville, Ky., Highland Middle School, My Scar
3rd place: Nina Tay, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA at Bluegrass, Who You Are

Finalists:

• Max Case, Louisville, Ky., Meredith-Dunn School
• Grace Hedger, Cold Spring, Ky., Campbell County Middle School
• Delilah Kaelin, Louisville, Ky., Meyzeek Middle School
• Sophia Miller, Lexington, Ky., Seton Catholic School
• Whitney Rivard, Lexington, Ky., Leestown Middle School

Seventh Grade
1st place: Allie Neltner, Lexington, Ky., Beaumont Middle School, Textile Beach
2nd place: Leigha Browning, Olmstead, Ky., Olmstead School, The Wave
3rd place: Kaylee Belle Barnes, Irvine, Ky., Clark Moores Middle School, Here…

Finalists:

• Ava Blandford, Lexington, Ky., Seton Catholic School
• Caitlin Brockenbrow, Lexington, Ky., SCAPA at Bluegrass
• Jackson Curtsinger, Shelbyville, Ky., Eminence Middle School
• Adeline Hall, Bremen, Maine, Homeschooled
• Athena O’Brien, Scottsdale, Ariz., Homeschooled
• Quentin Shuff, Eminence, Ky., Eminence Independent Schools
• Paige Thyne, Lexington, Ky., Leestown Middle School

Eighth Grade
1st place: Marco Garcia, Lexington, Ky., Leestown Middle School, She Does It All
2nd place: Lauren Wood, Louisville, Ky., Noe Middle School, Empowered
3rd place: Olivia Couch, London, Ky., South Laurel Middle School, The Red River

Finalists:

• Thomas Broughton, Vanceburg, Ky., Lewis County Middle School
• Molly Gifford, Olive Hill, Ky., Gifford Homeschool
• Hadley Jones, Upton, Ky., East Hardin Middle School
• Callie Mattingly, Bardstown, Ky., Old Kentucky Home Middle School
• Lucy Pearl Mills, Glasgow, Ky., Barren County Middle School
• Gwen Profitt, Wilmore, Ky., Homeschooled

High School Form Poetry
1st place: Nina Sherman, Louisville, Ky., Eastern High School, Mind Junk
2nd place: Caroline Winnenberg, Louisville, Ky., Christian Academy of Louisville, Keychain Flashlight
3rd place: Emily Cramer, Lexington, Ky., Trinity Christian Academy, Consumerism

Finalists:

• Autumn Hardin, Louisville, Ky., Eastern High School
• Devon Martin, Dixon, Ky., McCraken Regional School
• Lauren Arnold, Burlington, Ky., Connor High School
• Lilly Mooney, Shepherdsville, Ky., Mooney’s Homeschool
• Morgan Tinin, Paducah, Ky., McCracken County High

High School Free Verse Poetry
1st place: Olivia Creech, Benham, Ky., Harlan County High School, I Reckon
2nd place: Brigid Regan McCarthy, Manasquan, N.J., Communications High School, on life and death and everything in between (woman)
3rd place: Emmy Song, Rockville, Md., Montgomery Blair High School, a walk down lafayette street

Finalists:

• Penny Duran, Houston, Texas, Willy Brandt Schule
• Collin Hare, Louisville, Ky., Eastern High School
• Grace Riley, Louisville, Ky., Sacred Heart Academy
• Quinton Lightsy, Louisville, Ky., duPont Manual High School
• Molly Sample, Louisville, Ky., Eastern High School
• Madison Thompson, Goshen, Ky., North Oldham High School
• Nicholas Yungbluth, Wilder, Ky., Campbell County High School

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