2025 Inklings Book Contest Results

We are thrilled to announce the results of the 2025 Inklings Book Contest!

Before we do that, we want to thank each and every one of you who sent in your stories and poems. It’s a privilege to receive submissions from youth writers like you—from all over the world—and hear your unique voices and perspectives. We have had to make some tough decisions this year. We wish we could publish every single piece! We’re looking forward to sending each one of you a special letter in April that shares what stood out in your work.

All participants, please be sure to check the email address you provided when submitting for more details about what happens next.

Now, drum roll, please…the 2025 Inklings Book Contest results are…

2025 Inklings Book Contest Winners

We look forward to working with each of these writers and publishing their stories and poems in the 2025 Inklings Book Anthologies. This year’s books will feature…

3rd-8th Grade Winners:

• “Lucy’s Babysitting Adventure” by Lydia Ann Blakely, 3rd Grade, Tokyo, Japan
• “Wings of Determination” by Nolan Wei, 3rd Grade, Bellevue, WA
• “Seasons fo Wild Irish Farms” by Hudson McGinnis, 4th Grade, St. Louis, MO
• “Hawaii Beach” by Iris Cooper-Page, 4th Grade, Mountain View, CA
• “A Melody for Aria” by Amrit Sivaramakrishnan, 5th Grade, Smyrna, GA
• “Henry the Potato” by Isla Griffin, 5th Grade, Bothell, WA
• “The Story of a Dolphin” by Muya Yan, 5th Grade, Bothell, WA
• “The Power Within” by Abigail Chen, 6th Grade, Weston, MA
• “Before Our Time Slips Away” by Alaina Sharma, 6th Grade, Berwyn, PA
• “The Deepest Place on Earth” by Anay Bhatnagar, 6th Grade, Menlo Park, CA
• “The Hemsworths” by Haruka Sophie Rowland, 6th Grade, Tokyo, Japan
• “The Midnight Train” by Melanie Trinidad, 6th Grade, Santa Ana, CA
• “The New” by Kalixa Lobo, 7th Grade, South San Francisco, CA
• “The Sculptor, the Dragon, and the Child” by Kenzie Lam, 7th Grade, Menlo Park, CA
• “Addicted” by Yueling Qian, 7th Grade, Chicago, IL
• “Timeless Echoes” by Emeline Cadle, 8th Grade, Casselberry, FL
• “A Whole New Perspective” by Maia Cavagnolo, 8th Grade, Oakland, CA
• “Athlete Mentality” by Samantha Yeung, 8th Grade, Saratoga, CA

9th-12th Grade Winners:

• “Taste Buds” by Advika Asthana, 9th Grade, Parsippany, NJ
• “Extraordinary” by Eleanor Frink-Davis, 9th Grade, Portland, OR
• “Potential Energy” by Raya Ilieva, 9th Grade, Belmont, CA
• “Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-buuuum” by William Manche, 9th Grade, Los Altos, CA
• “Chiaroscuro” by Yimeng Cai, 9th Grade, Menlo Park, CA
• “Morning” by Adele Coover, 10th Grade, Philadelphia, PA
• “fog” by Kavya Murthy, 10th Grade, Los Altos, CA
• “Obsolescence” by Naomi Pond, 11th Grade, Irvine, CA
• “His Eyes” by Via M, 11th Grade, St. Louis, MO
• “A Satin Pillowcase” by Zoë Friedman, 11th Grade, Mountain View, CA

Finalists

Our finalists wrote outstanding stories and poems and we look forward to featuring them on our website this summer.

• Rae Feldman, 9th Grade
• Veda Chandran, 9th Grade
• Xuyi (Lauren) Zheng, 9th Grade
• Bella Dowd, 10th Grade
• Kaitalyn Quinones, 10th Grade
• Olivia Veroy, 10th Grade
• Sadie Giessner, 10th Grade
• Sanskriti Singh, 10th Grade
• Alice Buckley, 11th Grade
• Bhavya Raman, 11th Grade
• Gisele Urquilla, 11th Grade
• Katelyn Keyes, 11th Grade
• Zain Haseeb, 11th Grade
• Elle Guerrero, 12th Grade
• Iago Macknik-Conde, 12th Grade