May 19, 2020
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