We're thrilled to have recently celebrated the finalists of the 36th annual Junior Orange Bowl & South Florida Writers Association Creative Writing Contest, and honored first-place winner, Kirsten Hug from Gulliver Preparatory, along with her teacher, Ms. Maria Gonzalez.
 

Open to South Florida 8th graders, the prompt for the competition was:

“In an age characterized by sea level rise and rising temperatures, write an essay inspired by Miami’s ocean and its sea creatures.”

Chair Sophia Espaillat led the Creative Writing Contest with South Florida Writers Association as lead sponsor. Out of more than 100 submissions received this year, the finalists, three winners, and their teachers were honored at an awards ceremony held at the Newman Alumni Center at the University of Miami on May 18. Second-place prize went to Jessica Portnoy of Gulliver Prep, and third-place to Rafael Moro of Riviera Prep.
At the award ceremony, guest speaker Colin Foord, marine biologist, filmmaker, and co-founder of Coral Morphologic, gave a rousing presentation on his innovative work and shared Coral Morphologic’s mission to raise environmental awareness through creative expression with a spotlight on Miami’s unique biodiversity. Coral City Camera, a 24/7 underwater livestream from a coral reef along PortMiami, played on in the background. The Coral City Camera served as inspiration for the entrants.
Connie Goodman-Milone, South Florida Writers Association member and Junior Orange Bowl Creative Writing Committee past chair said;
"I’d like to congratulate our finalists. We’re here to honor your writing and encourage you all to continue down this path. Teachers, thank you for sharing our contest with your students and providing them with this opportunity. Today,
we honor your students’ imagination, dedication, and art of storytelling. These young writers have transported us to a new world and offered fresh perspectives."

The top 10 finalists will all receive Certificates of Achievement, prize bags, and - most importantly- the Golden Quill pin. The top 3 award-winning essays will
appear in the Author’s Voice newsletter of the South Florida Writers Association and will be announced in the Miami Herald. The top 3 prize winners will also be invited to appear on the Junior Orange Bowl float during the
parade in December.

From left to right, Kevin Arnoux, Sophia Espaillat, Jessica Portnoy, Kirsten Hug, Rafael Moro, Jennifer Forbes, Colin Foord.