***UPDATED ON 4/30***

The following students have placed at the regional level:

Julia Kent, second place poetry. Karington Brooks, first place essay, Meredith Hughes, second place essay, and Madeline Higgins, third place essay. Cameron Marshall, second place fiction.

Amanda Talbott, first place essay, and Alexander Solis, third place essay. Kristen Moss, second place fiction, and Megan Hollie, third place fiction.

Kacey Martin, first place poetry, Camron Beale, second place poetry, and Savannah Daniel, third place poetry. Brooke Craddock, first place essay. Clay Hardy, first place fiction, and Haley Ashworth, third place fiction.

Anna Catherine Kueng, first place poetry. Blake Mitchell, first place essay, Nicole Tolley, second place essay, and Lauren Jackson, third place essay. Kai Rigney, second place fiction, and Molly Hughes, third place fiction.

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On Feb. 2, winners of the Young Writers contest for the school level were announced.

Young Writers is a competition that includes categories for short fiction, essay, and poetry. Students across Pittsylvania County, beginning in kindergarten, submit entries to be evaluated by judges.

Students may place at school level, then county level, and finally, regional level. If a student places at the highest level, he or she is recognized at an awards ceremony generally held in Lynchburg, VA.

“When I found out, I was shocked and happy because I had worked hard on my story,” said junior Anna Leigh Hawkins.

Hawkins was one of the seventeen students who placed for short fiction.

The others include freshmen Cameron Marshall, Madison Walton, Kaleigh Griffith, Abigail Childress; sophomores Kristen Moss, Amanda Talbott, Megan Hollie, Lexie Wilmoth, Brandi Shaffer; juniors Haley Ashworth, Emily Purnell, Clay Hardy; and seniors Kai Rigney, Molly Hughes, Lexi Toufas, and Hattie Rieck.

The next category was poetry. Fourteen students placed in this category including freshmen Julia Kent, Kaitlyn Davis, Josh Neal; sophomores Noah Barker, Joseph Costagliola, Stormy Pierce; juniors Kacey Martin, Camron Beale, Savannah Daniel, Saige Johnson, Eli Ashworth; and seniors Anna Catherine Kueng, Ava Wood, and Gia Bucchi.

Beale was also shocked to learn he had won because he was afraid his poetry was “too personal to be a good entry.”

Beale has been writing for many years, but writing poetry is “relatively new” for him.

“I like it [poetry] because there’s no real rules to it, and it’s easy to express what I feel through it,” he said.

Finally, the essay winners were announced. These winners include freshmen Madeline Higgins, Meredith Hughes, Karington Brooks; sophomores Amanda Talbott, Alexander Solis; junior Brooke Craddock; and seniors Lauren Jackson, Anna Catherine Kueng, Blake Mitchell, Ava Wood, and Nicole Tolley.

“I like writing because I’ve always been interested in making my ideas come to life through writing,” said Hawkins.

All of these submissions are moving on to be judged at the county level.