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2024 Adult Writing Contest Winners
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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

"Sympathy for the Devil" by Duke Pennell

3rd

"Is There a Club Out There?" by Larry Wood



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


Best Published Fiction Book of 2023 — Sponsored by Billie Holladay Skelley

The Legend of Mad Howard by Rick Gunter

Best Published Nonfiction Book of 2023 — Sponsored by Veda Boyd Jones

The Ozarks Spook Light by Larry Wood

See you at next year's OWLies!