2025 Contest Winners

Write On The River, partnering with the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Writers Competition! Writers submitted either complete works or opening pages, and the judges agree that in this 17th year of the annual competition it was especially difficult to make “best writer” choices from among so many top-quality entries. These six winners will share $1200 in cash awards for their excellent work.

 

FICTION:

1st Place: Peter O’Cain, Wenatchee for “The Orchardarians”
2nd Place: Kristen Rush-Kennedy, Wenatchee for “The Stillness of Eva Spero”
3rd Place:  Adamari Hernandez, East Wenatchee for “Quibo”

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NONFICTION:

1st Place: Rebekah Jensen, Twisp for “The Randkluft”
2nd Place: Ron Smith, Malaga for “X-Ray Panties”
3rd Place: Alexei Brandt, East Wenatchee for “The Morning After” 

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Winning writers are invited to read their work at the Four Minutes of Fame open mic at the Wenatchee Valley Museum on May 22. See more information on that event soon.

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The competition limits writers to 1000 words of a finished piece or the start of a longer work, which are judged on clarity, depth and impact. In addition to cash prizes, the annual competition offers writers the option of three independent critiques of their submitted work.

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Learn about the writers and read their submissions below!