Top Local Writers, Poets To Receive Awards At Bethesda Ceremonies

BETHESDA, MD — The Bethesda Urban Partnership will host the Local Writer’s Showcase March 9-10, honoring the winners of the annual Bethesda Essay and Short Story Contest and the Bethesda Poetry Contest. Both ceremonies are free and open to the public.

The Annual Bethesda Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at The Writer’s Center, at 4508 Walsh Street in downtown Bethesda. All of the winners will read their original poems.

This year’s judge for the contest is award-winning poet Gabriella Fee, who received the Elizabeth K. Moser Fund for Poetry Studies Fellowship in 2021 and the Dr. Benjamin J. Sankey Fellowship in Poetry in 2022. Guest poets E. Ethelbert Miller, Adam Chiles and KaNikki Jakarta will read their poetry along with the winners.

The Essay and Short Story Contest Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, at 7400 Wisconsin Avenue.

Essays were judged by Neisha-Anne Green, director of the Writing Center at American University; author and novelist Aaron Hamburger; and bilingual writer and George Washington University Professor Ofelia Montelongo. Short stories were selected by writers Carrie Callaghan, Melanie Hatter, Mohini Malhotra, Zach Powers, Julia Tagliare and Claudia Wair.

More than 700 pieces were submitted to this year’s Poetry, Essay and Short Story Contests as writers competed for a chance to win up to $500, a free class and membership to The Writer’s Center and have their work published in the July/August issue of Bethesda Magazine. A total of $5,350 in prize money will be awarded to the 37 winners from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

The 2023 Local Writer’s Showcase is produced by the Bethesda Urban Partnership and sponsored by MoCo 360 and The Writer’s Center. Support is also provided by The Trawick Foundation.

Here are this year’s winners:

Essay Winners

• Cecilia Ferrara, Rockville, MD, 1st Place
• Krysten Jenci, Chevy Chase, MD, 2nd Place
• Elizabeth Minihan, Woodbridge, VA, 3rd Place
• Tina M. MWP, Rockville, MD, Honorable Mention
• Thu Nguyen, Gaithersburg, MD, Honorable Mention
• Carol Solomon, Montgomery Village, MD, Honorable Mention

High School Essay Winners

• Emily Rivera, Albert Einstein High School, 1st Place
• Kiersten McClure, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Highschool, 2nd Place
• Luna Nash, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, 3rd Place
• Winnie Chan, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, Honorable Mention
• Sophia Hall, Holton Arms School, Honorable Mention
• Allison Xu, Walter Johnson High School, Honorable Mention

Short Story Winners

• Eve Cantler, Washington, D.C., 1st Place
• Caroline E. Wellbery, Bethesda, MD, 2nd Place
• Elisabeth Schmeissner, Bethesda, MD, 3rd Place
• Perry Beamer, Takoma Park, MD, Honorable Mention
• Susie Chen, Potomac, MD, Honorable Mention
• Brandyn Pantano, Gaithersburg, MD, Honorable Mention

High School Short Story Winners

• Claire Buchanan, Holtan-Arms School, 1st Place
• Allison Xu, Walter Johnson High School, 2nd Place
• Meredith Abramson, Poolesville High School, 3rd Place
• Olov Berg, Winston Churchill High School, Honorable Mention
• Sophia Hall, Holton-Arms School, Honorable Mention
• Deba Shao, Thomas Wootton High School, Honorable Mention

Poetry Winners

• Margaret Flaherty, Takoma Park, MD, 1st Place
• Debkayna Mitra, Washington, D.C., 2nd Place
• Radhika Tyagi, Bethesda, MD, 3rd Place
• Angelin Donohue, Gaithersburg, MD, Honorable Mention
• Claire McGoff, Silver Spring, Honorable Mention
• Mary O’Melveny, Washington, D.C., Honorable Mention

High School Poetry Winners

• Paavani Lal Das, Richard Montgomery High School
• Cody Herwald, Walter Johnson High School
• Ganeev Kaur, Thomas S. Wootton High School
• Mia Koppel, Richard Montgomery High School
• Kelly Ren, Thomas S. Wootton High School
• Allison Xu, Walter Johnson High School
• Chelsea Zhu, Richard Montgomery High School