Every November is National Novel Writing Month. Each year, the NaNoWriMo nonprofit organization hosts an international novel-writing challenge to promote creative writing. Once again, the UT Libraries and the Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center joined in the fun by hosting our own short story contest.

Twenty-three students dropped by our five-hour “write-in” on the evening of November 8. Tutors from the Writing Center were on hand to provide guidance and support. At the kick-off event, contestants were given a choice of three writing prompts and challenged to let their imaginations soar. They were given one week to complete and submit a short story. We received 22 submissions inspired by our prompts:

Prompt #1: Write about a god desperately trying to get their chosen hero to follow the path they set out for them.

Prompt #2: Your character has just realized the app they’ve been developing has become self-aware. How do they react?

Prompt #3: Every year, one person is sent to the moon. This year, though you hid in terror, it is your turn to enter the rocket.

We’re pleased to announce the winners:
1^st Place:  “The God-Maker” by Laura Dixson
2^nd Place:  “The Arctic Jewel” by Anonymous
3^rd Place:  “Mina” by Mollie Smith

Honorable mention:

• Untitled by Carrie Cheng
• Untitled by Jenna Merricks
• “An Empty Field of Withering Flowers” by Eric Yang

Congratulations to each of our writers. Click on the links, below, to read their stories.

• “To End War” by L. Nathaniel Adams
• “In the Control Room” by Anonymous
• Untitled by Anonymous
• “Overridden by Lily Beall
• “I Never Wake Up Anymore” by Hadley Blankenship
• “Love You to the Moon (And Back?)” by Laura Lee Cochran
• “Organum” by Abigail Danner
• Untitled by Thomas Ernstberger
• “God Killer” by Anna Flannery
• “In the Embrace of Cosmic Silence” by Emma Haines
• “Hard Falling” by Chris Hong
• “Fighting Fate” by Teagan Lunceford
• “T’is Only a Simple Life I Want” by Devon Marchand
• “Bravado and Bravery” by Theodore Nacher
• “Macadamia” by Caleb Napper
• “Mine” by Sarah Schuster