We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Mary Ann Hutchison Memorial Story Contest for Youth 9-17 years of age.
The judges chose the winning mystery stories from a large pool of entries received from around the U.S. and the world.
We congratulate every contest participant. We received many outstanding short stories. The judges were impressed with the talent these young writers exhibited. It took several hours to narrow the field to the top four stories. The judges ended with a tie for third place and only later discovered both stories were written by the same author.
Every contest entrant receives a certificate of participation and comments on their stories from the judges. The top three place winners and their bios and links to the stories are posted below, in our newsletter and on our Facebook page. Honorable mentions are also posted by name. Sign up on the Home page of this website or e-mail membership@arizonamysterywriters.com for a free copy of the AMW newsletter.
Place Winners 14- to 17-year-olds
Ruby Wray 1st Place 14-17 for Ms. Glass
My name is Ruby Wray, and I’m a junior at Catalina Foothills High School. Tucson, Arizona. I love reading, writing, and music! I hope to write and publish my own books someday.
Judges’ comments on Ruby’s story Ms. Glass:
“The first-person narrator made a very good character.”
“Every [mystery] trope is included. Highly unusual in a young writer and you do it seemingly with no effort whatever. To attain that effect, is the most difficult writing of all.”
Ms. Glass CLICK HERE to read the story
Daniella Freedman 2nd Place 14-17 for Bloody Mary
Daniella Freedman is a junior at North Salem High School, North Salem, New York. She enjoys creative writing both in and out of the classroom and has been taking dance and flute lessons since she was eight.
Judges’ comments on Daniella’s story Bloody Mary:
“The language is the star in this piece. Great vocabulary, sense of rhythm; fine poetic imagery. Unexpected for this age group of writers.”
“The chant of the Hail Mary is brilliant.”
Bloody Mary CLICK HERE to read the story
Poojitha Konuru 3rd Place 14-17 for The Blue Roses
Poojitha Konuru is a sophomore at BASIS Chandler, Chandler, Arizona. She spent a lot of her time at home during the pandemic writing and improving her writing ability. Her favorite subject is Latin, and she spends her free time listening to music and reading.
Judges’ comments on Poojitha’s story The Blue Roses:
“Excellent mystery structure that pushes all the buttons.”
“Your descriptions are vivid and magnetic. Dialogue and general language usage is sophisticated and engrossing, enhancing the escalating terror and anticipation of the crimes’ solutions.”
Blue Roses CLICK HERE to read the story
Honorable Mentions 14- to 17-year-olds (in no particular order):
| 2022 Honorable Mentions 14- to 17-year-olds | |
|---|---|
| Julia Lane | Do You Dare |
| Shar Kiefer | The Midnight Train |
| Allison Xu | The Soothsayer |
| Olivia Palker | Desire |
| Tara Prakash | Flame |
| Jeremy Greenberg | The Hunter and the Hunted |
| Nate George | Miss Disturbed |
| Bernice Zhao | Case Report: Katherine Walters |
| Caden Khuu | The Mystery of the Giant's Skeleton |
Place Winners 9- to 13-year-olds
Aubrey McMullen 1st Place 9-13 for December 12th
My name is Aubrey. I am a student at Telesis Preparatory School in Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Judges’ comments Aubrey’s story December 12th:
“This is written in first person present tense, a very difficult POV to maintain. Good job!”
“Neat idea to have major plot points revealed by newspaper.”
December 12th CLICK HERE to read the story
Tristin Terstriep 2nd Place 9-13 for The Story of Small Josiah
My name is Tristin. I am 10 years old, and in 5th grade at BASIS Phoenix South Primary. I have traveled many places with my family, due to my dad being in the U.S. Army. My favorite subjects are math and science. One of my goals is to go to M.I.T (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) one day.
If it wasn’t for my teacher, Mrs. Lewis, I would never have known about this opportunity. I wrote my story about one of my friends at school. He is proud my story is about him.
Judges’ comments Tristin’s story, The Story of Small Josiah:
“It’s a solid plot, which means each event is caused by the previous. Very good.”
“Good use of vocabulary. It would be wonderful to know a little more about how Small Josiah and the ant were able to communicate.”
The Story of Small Josiah CLICK HERE to read the story
Jiah Kim 3rd Place 9-13 for Mystery Secret Santa
I'm Jiah Kim, a 7th grader at Dowell Middle School, McKinney, Texas. I love classical music and horror books, and usually spend my free time cooking or reading about them! My favorite genres to write in are horror and mystery. I love writing in mystery because I love it when I find a way to solve the mystery or murder I made. When I wrote this story, I was inspired by some crimes and scary stories I heard of.
Judges’ comments Jiah’s story Mystery Secret Santa:
“Good problem solving with clues. The “crime” to be solved was the stalker, but the real crime occurred at the end. Unexpected!”
“Definitely an engaging story that keeps the reader guessing and then with a clever twist at the end.”
Secret Santa CLICK HERE to read the story
Honorable Mentions 9- to 13-year-olds (in no particular order):
| 2022 Honorable Mentions 9- to 13-year-olds | |
|---|---|
| Devin Brislin | The Complex |
| Zenita Philip | Strange Acrobatics |
| Ada McKilligan | Attack at the Church |
| Jonathan Zhang | The Sacrifice |
| Josephine Vanslyke | Luka and Lyra |
| Jack Gantt | The Baltimore Brigand |
| Eleanor Cox | The Last Twin |
| Brooklynn Newton | The School Dance |
| Fortune Otoghile | Red Alert |
| Mythili Sarat Chandran | A Twisted Truth |
| Abigail Lee | The Grand Plan |
| Lilia Rigler | What’s the big deal about Nymphs anyway? 2022 Best Title |
| Ryan McLoughlin | Henry |
| Peyton Rottman | The Ghost in the Attic |
| Ishika Bhagavathula | Another One |
| Benjamin Baker | Pizzazz |
| Jasmine Ijere | Case 0 |
| Mohs Ruda | The Grade Stalkers |
| Jyoti Pandey | This was just a dream, right?! |
| Siena Holmes | The Battle Between Light and Dark |
| Mia Bowman | My Long Lost Sister |
| Gabrielle Pennamon | Dimensions |
