2022 Contest Winners

Showcase Awards

1. Grand Showcase Award - 3 Prizes ($300/$100/$50)

1st Russell Gayer- A Royal Flush
2nd Carol Avila- Remorse in Bloom
3rd Randolph Lancaster- A Best Man Murdered
1 HM JC Crumpton- An Envelope Addressed to Me
2 HM Jenni Cook- Locked In
3 HM Marlon Hayes- The Majordomo

2. Oxbow Award in Memory of Dusty & Pat Richards - 3 Prizes ($200/$100/$50)

1st Russell Gayer- Buckskins and Lace
2nd Marlon Hayes- The Teller
3rd Gary Rodgers- Mercy Ain't No Preacher
1 HM Kimberly Vernon- Bounty Hunter's Reward
2 HM Lori L. Robinett- Macon County
3 HM Ellen Withers-Coward's Aim

3. Founding Member Award in Memory of Arkansas Poet Laureate Peggy Vining - 1 Prize ($150)

1st Julie McNeely Kirwan- I Keep Forgetting to Tell You
1 HM Doug McClain- The Smell of Butterflies
2 HM Laura Redford- The Gatherings
3 HM Dana Dye- Lovely in Her Bones

4. Mike Willis Inspiration Award - 1 Prize ($150)

1st Anthony Wood- Going to Town
1 HM Kimberly Vernon-Granma's Baby
2 HM Gary Rodgers- Chocolate Gravy on Toast

Grand Conference Awards- 3 Prizes ($50/$30/$20)

5. Search for Excellence Award

1st Elizabeth Schierschmidt- A Squeaking Door
2nd Deanna Saplin- The Day You Died
3rd Russell Gayer- Reality Magazines
1 HM Beth Olson- Her Birthday Is The Least of Her Concerns
2 HM Concha Cochran- The Tower
3 HM Rickey Pittman- A Reader's Response to the Novels of Cormac McCarthy

6. Native American Short Story Award

1st JC Crumpton- Daughter of the People
2nd Anthony Wood- The Search for Wailing River
3rd Marcia Gaye- Sings to the Moon
1 HM Gary Rodgers- A Warrior's Vision
2 HM Regina McLemore- Wild Stallions
3 HM Medal of Brotherhood- Michael Koch

7. Flash Fiction

1st Betsy Gray- Letting Go
2nd Randy Lancaster- The Skunk
3rd Tammy Parra- Newberry Has Chops
1 HM Patricia Clark Blake- Reunion
2 HM Lonnie Whitaker- Change
3 HM Jenni Cook- Intruder

8. Urrey-Hightower Award

1st Ruth Weeks- No Body, No Crime
2nd G. David Walker- Holiday Spirit
3rd Interoffice Memo- Nancy Gibson
1 HM Joy Kenney-The Real Story
2 HM Lori L. Robinett-Deliberate Defense
3 HM JC Crumpton- Little One Hush

9. A Fish Out of Water Tale

1st JC Crumpton- Bring Down Ruin
2nd Gary Rodgers- Buffalo and a Beauty Queen
3rd Jane Hamilton- Being Beatrice
1 HM Tierney James- The Bare Necessities
2 HM Anne Sturtevant- A Deal with Big Foot
3 HM Russell Gayer- Silver-Tongued Spork

10. Bowled Over Contest

1st Yvonne Tillapaugh- Coincidence
2nd Kathryn Spurgeon-The Patient
3rd Sherri Ungerer-Promises Kept
1 HM Marlon Hayes- The Perfect Night

11. "Steamy" Romance Contest

1st Stolen Moment- Deanna Saplin
2nd Tierney James- Agents of Desire
3rd Signa Bodishbaugh- My Steamy Romance
1 HM Ed Barham-First Date

12. Sleuth's Ink Contest

1st Anne Sturtevant- Keep it on the Lowdown
2nd Rickey Pittman- Just Across the River
3rd JC Crumpton- The First Independent Shoe War
1 HM Kathyrn Spurgeon-Planning the Summit

Conference Awards- 3 Prizes ($25/$15/$10)

13. Goddesses of Poetic License Challenge

1st Gary Rodgers- A Tattoo for Dad
2nd Shirley McCann- The Last Dinner
3rd Michael Lee- Dr. Nut
1 HM Rhonda Harvey- Hell's Gate
2 HM Marlon Hayes- May Jean's Appointment

14. Senior Moments

1st Margarite Stever- Violet's Unexpected Treasure
2nd Billie Holladay Skelley- Coming Home
3rd Ellen Carpenter-Meteor Shower
1 HM Concha Cochran- Under Pressure
2 HM Katheryn Spurgeon- Her Reflection
3 HM Doug McClain- Scavengers

15. A Scream in the Night

1st Jenni Cook- Coal Life
2nd Shirley McCann- Favorite Holiday
3rd Joy Keeney- The Haunting of Stoney Point
1 HM Anthony Wood- The Stare
2 HM Kimberly Vernon- The Experiment
3 HM Regina McLemore-Homecoming

16. Life Along the Mississippi (Historical Fiction)

1st Jenni Cook- Coal Life
2nd Shirley McCann- Favorite Holiday
3rd Joy Keeney- The Haunting of Stoney Point
1 HM Anthony Wood- The Stare
2 HM Kimberly Vernon- The Experiment
3 HM Regina McLemore-Homecoming

17. Middle-Grade Fiction for Boys Ages 9-12

1st Ruth Weeks- James Logan and the Ford Mustang
2nd Jenni Cook- The Magic Bat
3rd Joni Cogbill- The Dragon's Tears
1 HM Marion Grace- Bully Fear
2 HM Yvonne Tillapaugh-Remi's FLight
3 HM Elizabeth Attebery-August's Magic Drawing

18. Paranormal Western Contest

1st Betsy Gray- The Night the James Gang Came to Mystic
2nd Ruth Weeks- Revenge Rides a Dapple Gray
3rd Gary Rodgers- Grateful for Gratitude

19. Hometown Newspaper Column

1st Gary Rodgers- Checkers and RC Cola
2nd Billie Holladay Skelley- Ice Cream Cones: St Louis, The Ozarks and The World
3rd Carolyn Hall- Suspended Fear
1 Hm Kimberly Vernon- Moon Shines on Local Festival

20. Give Us The Best of Friends

1st Russell Gayer- The Boy Next Door
2nd Rhonda Harvey- Madison County Moonshine Festival
3rd Rickey Pittman- Another Satyr-day Night

21. Repurpose a Quote

1st Wanita Humphrey- Hello
2nd Tierney James- After All, Tomorrow Is Another Day
3rd Billie Holliday Skelley- The Quandary
1 Hm Joni Cogbill- Claim to Fame

22. Space Journey

1st Kimberly Vernon-Gigantula Tarantula
2nd Doug McClain- Killer Kudzu
3rd Candy Meier- Alpha and Omega
1 HM JC Crumpton- Exactly the Same, Just Different
2 HM Julie McNeely-Kirwan- The Deer Man
3 HM Rickey Pittman- The Search for Turok's Lost Valley

23. Traditions Contest

1st Sherri Ungerer- Saturday with My Sister
2nd Ed Barham- The Littlest Angel
3rd Concha Cochran-Sunday Double Feature
1 Hm Ellen Withers- Making Lemonade from Lemons

24. Travel Article

1st Tierney James-Ya-Ta Hey Monument Valley
2nd JC Crumpton- I Am Insignificant
3rd Regina McLemore- A DNA Tour of the British Isles
1 HM Gary Rodgers- Black Hills and Blue Skies
2 HM Billie Holladay Skelley-Experience Maine- See the Way Life Should Be
3 HM Deanna Saplin- Amelia Island

25. Things That Go Bump In The Night!

1st Billie Holladay Skelley- A Night At The Old Lehi Hospital
2nd Candy Meier- The Man In The Moon
3rd Gary Rodgers- Devil's Racetrack
1 HM Elizabeth Schierschmidt-Elf on the Shelf

26. My Favorite Day in Nature

1st Deanna Saplin- Life Restored
2nd Carolyn Hall- Arabesque
3rd Concha Cochran- Evening of Autumn
1 HM Barbara Clouse- In Shelter of Oak
2 HM Betty McCarthy- Fringe
3 HM Buffalo Riversong- Julie McNeely-Kirwan

27. Hook Us with your Best First Paragraph

1st Monica Holcomb- Avalina's Tale
2nd Candy Meier- Fire at Dad's Resort

3rd Ellen Withers- West to a New Life
1 HM Susette Shreve-Bathilda's Best

28. No, No Ebeneezer Award!

1st Ed Barham- Frostop Caper
2nd Tierney James- No Sense of Humor
3rd Marion Grace-Inspiration
1 HM Rickey Pittman- My Lucky Strike
2 HM Kathryn Spurgeon- Road to Butler's

29. Creative Non-Fiction Award

1st Margarite Stever- Just Because I'm A Girl
2nd Billie Holladay Skelley-One Little Mistake
3rd Carolyn Hall- Saved for Retirement
1 HM JC Crumpton- I Saw King Kong

30. Cross-Genre Contest

1st Joy Keeney-Devil's Gap
2nd Deanna Saplin- Dead Ringer
3rd Rhonda Harvey- Taste of Justice
1 HM Ed Barham- The Dragon That Ate Riverfest

31. The Rainbolt Children's Book Award

1st Joy Keeney-A Dinosaur for Bradley
2nd Brenda Ferguson- Moon Traveler
3rd Kimberly Vernon- Gizmo Goes Green

32. On-The-Spot Contest- One Prize $25

1st Carolyn Hall- The Worst Poem about Writing