Coeur d'Alene Library announces writing competition winners

The winners in the 2024 Julie Meier Writers Competition at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library were notified of their placements May 24.

In its 35th year, the competition is for fiction and nonfiction prose of 2,000 words or less with age groups from kindergarten to adult. The late Julie Meier, for whom the competition was named in 2018, created the program to encourage writing excellence and to recognize talented writers.

Prize money — $100 for first, $50 for second and $25 for third — is provided by the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library. The competition is judged by professional writers and editors, educators and by library employees. All entries in the competition are bound into books that are added to the library’s collection. These books can be viewed in the Nelson Room at the library.

This year's winners:

Grade K-2 Fiction
• First Place – Thea Rae Switzer – “The Adventurous Puppy”
• Second Place – Olivia Marcello – “The Happy Cupcake"
• Third Place – Kamran Rosenberger – “Squirm the Worm Meets Fry the Frog”

Grade K-2 Non-Fiction
• First Place – Eleanor Moore – “The Time I Took My Grandparents Camping”
• Second Place – Emma Weinberger – “My Baby Bird”

Grade 3-5 Fiction
• First Place – Clare Anderson – “A Trip to the Library”
• Second Place – Violet Thomason – “Foxes of Evenfrost"
• Third Place – Josie Keenan – “Lost on Lhotse”

Grade 3-5 Non-Fiction
• First Place – Marcus Weinberger – “Visiting the Largest Factory in the World"
• Second Place – Katherine E. Carr – “Pet for a Day"
• Third Place – Keegan Rosenberger – “The Triple City Winners”

Grade 6-8 Fiction
• First Place – Eden Aufderheide – “Why We Play”
•Second Place – Harper Romjue – “Perfect Monster”
• Third Place – Claire K. Vrabely – “The Scarlet Train

Grade 6-8 – Non-Fiction
• First Place – Jude Anderson – “The Sights of the City”
• Second Place – Emory Mielke –  “Surviving in the Woods”

Grade 9-12 – Fiction
• First Place – Sarah Pitter – “As the Sun Sets”
• Second Place – Evy Krombein – “The Monster in the Waters"
• Third Place – Ani Mielke – “The First Adventure of Lucas and Tuna”

Grade 9-12 – Non-Fiction
• First Place – Sarah S. Woodford – “Just Like Paper”
• Second Place – John Hersey – “A Gerbil Experience”
•Third Place – Elijah Harrison – “The Science of Sleep”

Adult (19+) – Fiction

• First Place – Taylor Kowalski – “Moonshine Murder"
• Second Place – Amy Logan – “A Siren for an Angel”
• Third Place – Tad Trier – “I, Genie”

Adult (19+) – Non-Fiction
• First Place – Marsha Bradley – “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a"
• Second Place – Erica D. Golden – “My Heart Loves a Lonely Hunter”