Winners announced for Berbee-Walsh Writing Contest

Congratulations to everyone who entered the Perrysburg High School Berbee-Walsh Writing Contest. Judges said the deliberations were difficult because of the high quality of our student writing. Special congratulations to the following individuals who are prize-winners in this year’s contest:

Abby Henry – First Place with a prize of $1,000 for her piece titled, “Perspectives”
Madison Wyraz – Second Place with a prize of $750 for her piece titled, “A Letter, Unsent”
Amanda Overy –Third Place with a prize of $500 for her piece titled, “On the Origins of Silence”

Honorable mention with a prize of $250 each:
Clara Barned for her piece titled, “When I was Laid in the Earth”
Isabella Knestrick for her piece titled, “To the Woman who Gave Me Life”
Olivia Thomas for her piece “What is Adoption”

This is the second year this contest has been offered. The contest is sponsored by James Berbee and Karen Walsh of Madison, Wisconsin, who are family members of a Perrysburg High School teacher. The main goal of the competition is to build enthusiasm for the craft of writing. The rules specifically do not require a particular style or genre of writing—and that’s by design.

“So often as young adults, we had specific writing assignments where we were told what to write about,” said Ms. Walsh. “As someone who’s written both fiction and non-fiction, I wanted students to experience the joy of writing something of their own choosing. We hope it allows them to connect with their own creativity and discover a love of writing.”

The contest was open to any PHS student in any grade. The piece must never have been read by a teacher - either casually or formally for a class. It must be something the student has done on his/her own. Judging was done blindly by a panel of judges, none of which were associated with PHS.