2024 Adult Writing Contest Winners!

Congratulations to all of this year's winners,
and many thanks to the generous sponsors
who made it all possible.

Make your plans to enter next year!

Humorous Short Story — Sponsored by Russell Gayer

1st	"A Fun Day of Bland Delusions" by Kevin Brown
2nd	"Frozen Peas" by JC Crumpton
3rd	"Sympathy for the Devil" by Duke Pennell

Flash Fiction Story of exactly 100 words — Sponsored by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields and Jan Fields

1st	"Words to Remember" by Linda Runnebaum
2nd	"Slow Traffic" by Larry Wood
3rd	"It's Rumspringa Again" by Ron Smith

Inspirational Romance Story — Sponsored by Diane Yates

1st	"The Spirit of Love'" by Kevin Brown
2nd	"Letters from Sycamore Ridge" by Ron Smith
3rd	"A Mother's Heart" by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

"I didn't see that coming!" O'Henry Style Story — Sponsored by eMerge Magazine

1st	"Out on a Limb" by Ron Smith
2nd	"Dead Man's Curve" by Joy Keeney
3rd	"Bingo with Mom" by Carolyn Hall
HM	"The Ring" by Kelly Reddin

Western Short Story — Sponsored by Duke Pennell and Frontier Tales Ezine

1st	"Blood and Mud" by JC Crumpton
2nd	"The First Church of the Saloon" by Larry Wood
3rd	"A Myth in the Remaking" by Kevin Brown

Historical Fiction — Sponsored by Anonymous

1st	"An Infamous Dinner Guest" by Lauri Mays
2nd	"The Greenville Shoot-Out" by Ron Smith
3rd	"The Stone Battery" by Kevin Brown

The Family Reunion — Sponsored by Richard and Bonnie Tesh

1st	"Tie One on at the Knot Family Reunion" by Kelly Reddin
2nd	"The Borgus Reunion" by Ron Smith
3rd	"2024 Family Reunion" by Lauri Mays

Ghostly Surprise (Paranormal Short Story) — Sponsored by Ronda Del Boccio

1st	"Eyes" by Diana Collard
2nd	"Echoes in the Graveyard" by Casey Bazyk
3rd	"Green Valley Theater" by Ron Smith

Romantic Adventure Short Story — Sponsored by Anonymous

1st	"A Night at Bingo by JC Crumpton
2nd	"The Idiot" by Sandy Jordan
3rd	"A Bushel of Hope" by Marti Attoun
HM	"The Leap" by Casey Bazyk

Juvenile Short Story-Fiction — Sponsored by eMerge Magazine

1st	"The Mouse" by Sandy Jordan
2nd	"The New Girl" by Kelly Reddin
3rd	"The Squeeze Play" by Larry Wood

Animal Doin's — Sponsored by Michael Don Fess

1st	"Doggone Smart" by Marti Attoun
2nd	"The Overachiever" by Linda Runnebaum
3rd	"The Booze Hounds" by Duke Pennell
HM	"Oklahoma Lion King" by Rhonda Harvey

Humorous Memoir — Sponsored by Rose Heaser

1st	"Frozen Peas" by JC Crumpton
2nd	"Before You Plant That Goodnight Kiss" by Carolyn Hall
3rd	"First Sermon" by Ron Smith
1st HM	"Ships Passing in the Night" by Larry Wood
2nd HM	"South of North" by Kevin Brown

Memoir & Creative Nonfiction — Sponsored by Brenda Black

1st	"Everything's Okay" by Duke Pennell
2nd	"Blessings of Blood Clots" by Carolyn Hall
3rd	"I Saw King Kong" by JC Crumpton
HM	"Teaching, What an Experience!" by Kelly Reddin

Travel Article — Sponsored by Joplin Writers Guild

1st	"Harvey Houses in Kansas" by Diana West
2nd	"The Canadian" by Kelly Reddin
3rd	"In Search of Shoo-Fly Pie" by Ron Smith

Humorous Anecdote Prize — Sponsored by John "Doc" by Crawford and Ronda Del Boccio

1st	"The Stolen Christmas Present" by Kelly Reddin
2nd	"Grab Bag Surprise" by Marti Attoun
3rd	"Names" by Rose Heaser
1st HM	"The Forbidden Room" by Joy Keeney
2nd HM	"Snakes and Rock and Roll" by Rhonda Harvey
3rd HM	"We All Got Combat Pay" by Larry Wood

Hometown Newspaper Column — Sponsored by Lonnie Whitaker

1st	"Little Known Ozark History" by Rose Heaser
2nd	"Pop Bottle Paradise" by Larry Wood
3rd	"The Song of the Chimes" by Sandy Jordan
1st HM	"Riding Down Memory Lane" by Kelly Reddin
2nd HM	"Bring Back the Osage Valley Pumpkin Festival" by JC Crumpton

Creative Nonfiction: My Favorite Hobby — Sponsored by Linda Apple

1st	"Exploring the Road Never Taken" by JC Crumpton
2nd	"A Beautiful Way to Spend the Day" by Kelly Reddin
3rd	"Color Away" by Jenny Clark
HM	"Digging For Nuggets" by Larry Wood

Ozarks Article — Sponsored by Larry Wood

1st	"Noticed on a Fall Drive Through Downtown Eureka Springs" by Kevin Brown
2nd	"The Missing Enologist" by Ron Smith
3rd	"Harold Brazil, Joplin's Tuskegee Airman" by Kelly Reddin

Growing Up Rural — Sponsored by Carolyn Hall

1st	"On a Bank with Pawpaw" by Don Money
2nd	"Front Porch Epiphany" by Ron Smith
3rd	"No Fishing" by Margarite Stever

Creative Non-Fiction "What I Left Behind — Sponsored by Julie James

1st	"Life Overseas" by Rhonda Harvey
2nd	"Leaving on a Jet Plane" by Larry Wood
3rd	"What I Left Behind" by Casey Bazyk

Crawford Poetry Prize — Sponsored by John "Doc" by Crawford

1st	"Awakening" by Jenny Clark
2nd	"The Stream" by Kelly Reddin
3rd	"Infinite" by Sandy Jordan
1st HM	"Spring Ritual" by Ron Smith
2nd HM	"Coming Home to Iceland" by JC Crumpton
3rd HM	"The Dot of an Ant" by JB Hunt

Haiku — Sponsored by Jan Morrill Vanek

1st	"I Slept While He Died" by JB Hunt
2nd	"July Fields" by Ron Smith
3rd	"The Weight of Woe" by Kevin Brown

Magical Ozarks Moments — Sponsored by the Ozarks Writers League

1st	"The Sasquatchian Blue Beast of the Ozarks" by Kevin Brown
2nd	"Home Coming" by Sandy Jordan
3rd	"Fishing the Buffalo River" by JC Crumpton
HM	"Porch in the Woods" by Ron Smith

Best First Page of a Fiction Book in Progress — Sponsored by Margarite Stever and Bonnie Tesh

1st	"Til We Meet Again" by April Gordon
2nd	"The Days of War" by JC Crumpton
3rd	"A Soccer Mom by Day" by Ron Smith
3rd	"Cady's Secret" by Larry Wood