MARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association is extremely pleased to announce the 9th annual Dandelion Cottage Award winners. The award recognizes U.P. student short story writers for excellence in grades 5-12. The Dandelion Cottage Award is funded entirely by charitable donations, and no fees have ever been charged to entrants or winners. Students submit stories in consultation with their teachers.  The contest includes honors for first-, second- and third-place winners in both the senior and junior divisions. The contest is chaired by Larry Buege (Marquette), a UPPAA Board member and author of the popular “Chogan” series for middle-grade readers.

The Copper Country dominates this year’s winners. In the senior division (grades 9 – 12), first place will be awarded to Leah Johnson, a junior at Houghton HS, for her story “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” (sponsor Jessica Klein). The award includes a medallion, the winner’s name on a traveling school trophy, and a $250 cash prize. Second place will be awarded to Analise VerBerkmoes, a sophomore at Copper Country Christian School in Chassell, for her story “Pepper” (sponsor Judie Chizek), accompanied by a medallion and a $100 prize. A medallion and prize money of $50 will go to third-place winner Colin Spencer, a freshman at Houghton HS, for his story “Revenge on the Reich” (sponsor Jessica Klein).

The junior division features U.P. writers in grades 5-8. Genevieve Baker (grade 6) at Washington Middle School (Calumet, MI) won first place for her story “Tulipsville Terror” (sponsor Amy Machiela), earning a $150 prize. Adele O’Neill (grade 8) at Houghton Middle School won second place for her story “Eggscape” (sponsor Jennifer Saaranen), which includes a $75 prize. Natalie Verbrigghe (grade 6) at a home school took third place for her story “The Diary of Penelope: A Passenger aboard the L.C. Waldo” (sponsor Maria Verbrigghe) with a $25 prize.

Three of the Dandelion Cottage Award Winners: Genevieve Baker, Colin Spencer, Natalie Verbriggghe

This year, more than 50 participants came from 11 different U.P. schools, including DeTour, Marquette, and the greater Escanaba area, to name a few. This year’s 12 judges would like to thank every student who submitted their work. For more information about the annual Dandelion Cottage short story contest, visit www.DandelionCottage.org, which features the full text of stories from the previous eight years of contests.

Victor R. Volkman, UPPAA’s president, highly recommends the Young Writers Storytelling Workshop for students wishing to improve their writing craft. Details for this May 16 event held at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, please visit www.storytellingworkshop.org. The workshop is led by children’s educator Rehema Clarken, PhD (Hancock) and this year’s event features a new breakout structure for students to personalize the experience to their needs. Enrollment is limited to the first 30 applicants and will end on May 1. Need-based scholarships will be available.          

Each of the honored stories will appear in the upcoming 10th volume of U.P. Reader, UPPAA’s own annual literary anthology featuring short stories, poetry and essays by its members. This successful publication helps spread the word about the organization, raise money for educational programming, and encourages people in the Upper Peninsula and beyond to read U.P. writers. Complimentary copies of the U.P. Reader are available to all U.P. educators and media at no cost. The on-sale date is scheduled for May 1. Consult your local bookseller for availability or purchase at Amazon. For more information, visit www.UPReader.org.

The awards will also be celebrated at the 28th Annual UPPAA Conference at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette on May 17.