Penticton Writers and Publishers are pleased to announce the winners and honourable mentions in the 2008 Young Okanagan Writers Contest.

The work(s) of those listed below will be featured in the upcoming Gems of the Okanagan Anthology :2008 Volume 3. All finalists are invited to attend a weekend Youth Write Camp July 11-13, 2008, sponsored by Raise a Reader.

Please contact Yasmin John-Thorpe at yasie1@shaw.ca as soon as possible for more details.

Poetry 10-13

First Place: Clara Salter: 13, Summerland Middle School

Second Place: Carissa Kocsis: 13, McNicoll Park Middle School, Penticton

Third Place: Clara Salter: 13, Summerland Middle School

Honourable Mention:
Haley Speers: 12, Summerland Middle School
Jenaya Copithorne: 10, Penticton Christian School
Anastasia K. Holler: 12, Summerland Middle School
Jolene Hayter: 13, KVR Middle School, Penticton
Clara Salter: 13, Summerland Middle School

Fiction 10-13

First Place: Jasper Meiklejohn: 12, Home Learner’s Program, Penticton

Second Place: Jenaya Copithorne: 10, Penticton Christian School

Third Place: Rachael Lesosky: 13, Const. Neil Bruce Middle School, Kelowna

Honourable Mention:
Samantha Macpherson: 13, Kelowna Waldorf School
Conner McMillen: 12, Skaha Lake Middle School, Penticton
Theo Christensen: 10, Bearisto Elementary School, Vernon
Brooke Cederholm: 12, Okanagan Falls Elementary School
Jenaya Copithorne: 10, Penticton Christian School

Poetry 14-17

First Place: Ashley Pearson: 16, Princess Margaret Secondary School, Penticton

Second Place: Avery Beardmore: 17, Kelowna Secondary School

Third Place: Roman Blomme: 17, Summerland Secondary School

Third Place: Jenna Pearce: 17, Heritage Christian Online School, Summerland

Honourable Mention:
Kayla Switzer: 14, Okanagan Mission Secondary School, Kelowna
Hannah Alfred: 14, Okanagan Mission Secondary School, Kelowna
Taylor Attrill: 16, Princess Margaret Secondary School, Penticton
Heather Cochrane: 14, Skaha Lake Middle School, Penticton
Ashley Pearson: 16, Princess Margaret Secondary School, Penticton
Colten Pighin: 15, Osoyoos Secondary School
Taylor Fabbi: 15, Summerland Secondary School

Fiction 14-17

First Place: Tanya Ludwig: 15, Mt Boucherie Senior Secondary School, West Bank

First Place: Thomas Ziebarth: 15, Summerland Secondary School

First Place: Daniel Atkinson: 17, Princess Margaret Secondary School, Penticton

Second Place: Roman Blomme: 17, Summerland Secondary School

Second Place: Daniel Atkinson: 17, Princess Margaret Secondary School, Penticton

Third Place: Heather Cochrane: 14, Skaha Lake Middle School. Penticton

Third Place: Tessa Peterson: 14, Penticton Secondary School

Honourable Mention:
Shayden Pinch: 14, Springvalley Middle School, Kelowna
Heather Cochrane: 14, Skaha Lake Middle School. Penticton
Caitlin Meiklejohn: 15, SelfDesign Teen Praxis Program, Penticton
Christine Dewitt: 14, Eagle River Secondary School, Sicamous
Chelsey Baron: 15, Summerland Secondary School