Congratulations to all Awesome Authors Winners!

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Awesome Authors Contest. Despite the COVID-19 shutdown, the jury members, Catherine Austen, Amélinda Bérubé, Éric Péladeau, Karine Perron and Khaleefa 'Apollo the Child' Hamdan, wanted to preserve the excitement for contest participants. They filmed themselves to announce this year’s winners and to salute all the young participants from across Ottawa.

This year, the contest received 530 entries from hundreds of participants, some of whom had benefited from numerous tips, techniques, and tricks through writing workshops given by the jury members. Thank you to all participants!

The annual Awesome Authors Contest is sponsored by the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA), which publishes Potpourri, an annual anthology of all the winning poems, short stories, and comics.  To get a copy of this year’s anthology, please visit FOPLA website.  

The following list of winners, organized by writing category, includes each winner’s name, the title of their winning work, age, school, and standing:

Ages 9 - 12

POEMS

1st Place

Kaila Bouzi Laryea (Age 11), Dear Angel

École élémentaire catholique Édouard-Bond

2nd Place

Kyara Collingwood (Age 12), Farewell on Monday

Westwind Public School

3rd Place

Mariam Ahmed Gabr (Age 12), A Name

Al-Furqan School

Honourable Mention 1

Sarah Hume (Age 12), Nothing New

Broadview Public School

Honourable Mention 2

Jameela Ellaithy (Age 12), Ruins

École élémentaire publique Julie-Payette

Honourable Mention 3

Kara van Sertima (Age 10), Song

Homeschooled

SHORT STORY

1st Place

Alexandra Ada Wallace (Age 11), Mrs. Pinch

École élémentaire catholique Lamoureux

2nd Place

Sophia Kennedy (Age 10), Friends Don't Have to be Human

Devonshire Community Public School

3rd Place

Ella Marcogliese (Age 12), Beyond

St. Benedict School

Honourable Mention 1

Arisu Babakhani (Age 12), Used

Broadview Public School

Honourable Mention 2

Rowan Hatfield (Age 11), My War - George Farly’s journal

Farley Mowat Public School

Honourable Mention 3

Milana Wheeler (Age 10), Life of a Dilophosaurus

Mutchmor Public School

COMICS

1st Place

Sèna Rose Greig (Age 11), The super-herats: Ticked off

École élémentaire catholique Terre-des-jeunes

2nd Place

Dayna Xiao (Age 12), Music genres

Katimavik Elementary School

3rd Place

Sienna James (Age 11), Free Lunch?

Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School

Honourable Mention 1

Salma Mohamud (Age 12), Winter Wasteland    

Featherston Drive Public School

Honourable Mention 2

Adam Cherif (Age 12), Birthday Blues

Al-Furqan School

Honourable Mention 3

Yehia Elgezary (Age 12), The Fault of Generation Z

Broadview Public School

POÉSIE
 

1er prix

Béatrice Sirois (âge 11), Monde contraire

École élémentaire publique Francojeunesse

2e prix

Dayna Xiao (âge 12), Les étoiles dans la nuit

Katimavik Elementary School

3e prix

Edith René (âge 11), Les secrets de la mort

École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Geneviève

Mention honorable 1

Anabelle Gurnick (âge 12), La déportation des acadiens

École élémentaire publique Julie-Payette

Mention honorable 2

Kimia Bhanji (âge 10), L’AUTOMNE C’EST MAGIQUE

École élémentaire catholique d’enseignement personnalisé La Source

Mention honorable 3

Héloïse (âge 9), petit flocon

École élémentaire publique Francojeunesse

NOUVELLE

1er prix

Tessa Ernst – Fontaine (âge 12), Décision

École élémentaire catholique Lamoureux

2e prix

Edith René (âge 11), La forêt

École élémentaire catholique Sainte- Geneviève

3e prix

Béatrice Sirois (âge 11), Otto (sa veut dire huit en italien)

École élémentaire publique Francojeunesse

Mention honorable 1

Maya Comeau (âge 11), Le trésor de Cathy

École élémentaire publique Francojeunesse

Mention honorable 2

Laura Swanson (âge 11), Une génération à protéger

École-maison

Mention honorable 3

Victoria Duroseau (âge 12), 730 jours

Henry Munroe Middle School

BANDE DESSINÉE

1er prix

Sèna Rose Greig (âge 11), Les super-hérats: Le BRIE de communication jeunes

École élémentaire catholique Terre-des-jeunes

2e prix

Eva Riecker (coauteure) (âge 9), Comment ranger ta chambre

OMS Montessori

3e prix

Émilie Gurnick (et Cianna Sutherland) (âge 10), Les aventures de soeurs et frères - Le poisson d'avril

École élémentaire publique Julie-Payette

Mention honorable 1

Sofia Cipcigan (âge 10), La surprise

École élémentaire publique Charlotte-Lemieux

Ages 13 - 18

POEMS

1st Place

Rica Qiu (Age 17), Log In

Colonel By Secondary School

2nd Place

Vanie Tran (Age 16), The Stars In Your Eyes

Collège catholique Franco-Ouest

3rd Place

Isabelle Mishkis (Age 13), The Irony of a Country's name

Earl of March Intermediate School

Honourable Mention 1

Elena Hurley (Age 14), The World in Black and White

Holy Trinity Catholic High School

Honourable Mention 2

Kendra McDonell (Age 17), Cancer

St. Pius X High School

Honourable Mention 3

Anna Berglas (Age 17), It Is So Very Dark Outside

Nepean High School

SHORT STORIES

1st Place

I.M. Stripinis (Age 17), Little Omens

Colonel By Secondary School

2nd Place

Renée Rosteius (Age 17), I'm Free

John McCrae Secondary School

3rd Place

Maleeka Ellaithy (Age 15), Drip

Colonel By Secondary School

Honourable Mention 1

Catherine Ma (Age 16), Rain

Colonel By Secondary School

Honourable Mention 2

Rebecca Kempe (Age 17), Battleship

Canterbury High School

COMICS

1st Place

Parker Knight (Age 17), Daydream

St. Pius X High School

2nd Place

Poojithya Adikari (Age 14), Starry Imagination

Earl of March Secondary School

3rd Place

Ivanka Hrycaj (Age 13), Eyes       

De La Salle Public High School

Honourable Mention 1

Sophie Brown- Graham (Age 17), So What's it Going To Be Then?

Sacred Heart High School

Honourable Mention 2

Amal Khan (Age 13), Kiwi and Friends

St. Joseph High School

POÉSIE

1er prix

Claire Guillemette (âge 13), Processus de création

École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité

2e prix

Anika Credico (âge 13), Notre Monde

École secondaire publique De La Salle

3e prix

Miriam Zdunich (âge 13), L'espoir

École secondaire publique De La Salle

Mention honorable 1

I.M. Stripinis (âge 17), Chaos

Colonel By Secondary School

Mention honorable 2

Maleeka Ellaithy (âge 15), L'espoir survit encore

Colonel By Secondary School

Mention honorable 3

Lillian Abebe (âge 17), Mon amie, la musique

Colonel By Secondary School

NOUVELLE

1er prix

I.M. Stripinis (âge 17), Exode

Colonel By Secondary School

2e prix

Miriam Zdunich (âge 13), Une dernière rencontre

École secondaire publique De La Salle

3e prix

Maleeka Ellaithy (âge 15), Le Flûtiste

Colonel By Secondary School

Mention honorable 1

Oksana Dryden (âge 16), L'hêtre des êtres

Collège catholique Franco-Ouest

Mention honorable 2

Kahina Henriquez (âge 16), L'innocent accusé

École secondaire catholique Pierre-Savard

Mention honorable 3

Vanie Tran (âge 16), Mille-feuille de poésie

Collège catholique Franco-Ouest

BANDE DESSINÉE

1er prix

Sophia Andia (âge 17), Une Bonne Soirée

Colonel By Secondary School

2e prix

Claire Guillemette (âge 13), Dénomination commune

École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité