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The Mays Writing Contest is held annually to celebrate our creative writers from first to twelfth grade. The contest and magazine are possible through the generous support of the Mays family.
2025 Mays Magazine
2025 Mays Magazine .pdfThis year's prompt asked girls to tap into their creative side and design their own prompt! Students chose different creative elements from a story chart to create their own unique piece of fiction. Even though some stories featured the same elements, each writer, with her distinctive voice, crafted her own story. Congratulations to all of our talented winners! We cannot wait to share this incredible magazine with everyone. We would like to extend a special thank you to the Mays family for their unwavering support of this contest.
This year Belles Lettres staff judged the lower and middle schools' submissions while guest judge Maria Zoccola '11 judged the upper school. Read below for judges' remarks on the winning pieces!
First Grade
Greer Lieberman for “DaArcade Monster”
Judge Remarks: Greer’s story features strong imagery and action verbs in an intricate plot where a lot of different characters work with and against the narrator Super Greer at the arcade!
Second Grade
Gibby Carlson for “Susan and the Monster”
Judge Remarks: Gibby’s story stood out for its detail and descriptions along with its creative display of the lesson as Susan befriends the cafeteria monster!
Third Grade
Jayne Clair Berardi for “The Child and the Monster”
Judge Remarks: Jayne Clair’s story clearly portrays the value of kindness when a child superhero The Pink Pow learns to listen and saves the day!
Fourth Grade
Julia Richmond for “The Pencil”
Judge Remarks: Julia’s story features defined characters, Miley and Amelia, as they courageously defeat a monster with a pencil!
Fifth Grade
Mary Brooks Morgan for “Success”
Judge Remarks: Mary Brooks develops her main character Abby’s story with thoughtfully crafted scenes that mimic the authentic actions and emotions of trying out for a basketball team.
Sixth Grade
Janie McDonald for “Tug on a leash”
Judge Remarks: With vivid imagery, Janie tells a story about a compassionate narrator who finds and helps a dragon while out walking their dog.
Seventh Grade
Eleanor Parr for “The Jackalope”
Judge Remarks: Eleanor’s immersive and heartfelt story invites the readers to empathize with Layla and Sophie as they strengthen their friendship while hunting for a jackalope.
Eighth Grade
Carter Visinsky for “The Little Things”
Judge Remarks: In a short amount of space, Carter’s descriptive piece captures three different perspectives, illustrating how moments of kindness build on each other.
Ninth Grade
Stella Hamilton for “Lookout”
Maria Zoccola remarks: “Lookout” allows setting to foreground character, building the history of two intertwined lives across a single page of flash fiction. The language is meditative, the prose is carefully constructed, and the writer’s attention to the natural world brings the human concerns of her narrator into focus.
Tenth Grade
Louise Lawhead for “The Price of Freedom”
Maria Zoccola remarks: It’s difficult to maintain momentum in an action scene, but “The Price of Freedom” does so expertly. The propulsive narration drives the tension higher moment by moment, racing the reader onward toward the brutal conclusion. This writer shines in her ability to translate physicality to the page.
Eleventh Grade
McNaron Gray for “Monster Bait”
Maria Zoccola remarks:“Monster Bait” raises its stakes across a traditional three-act plot structure, introducing the reader to a protagonist who is brave, kind, and competent. The writer grounds her story in the sensory details that breathe life into an invented world, and the mirrored injuries to “girl” and “monster” in rising action and conclusion leave the reader longing for a Part Two.
Twelfth Grade
Kim Huang for “Broken Heart”
Maria Zoccola remarks: When I read the phrase “his doctor’s coat hung caked with grime and guilt,” I knew I was experiencing a powerful new voice in speculative fiction. The complicated emotional throughline of “Broken Heart” anchors the reader in an unfamiliar world, allowing the redemption of its flawed main character to take center stage. The language here is beautiful, both painterly and deliberate. I’m eager to read what this writer creates next.
Lower School Honorable Mentions
First Grade: Winn Talbot for “The Little Girl” and Noora Morrison for “The Mystery of the Arcade”
Second Grade: Evangeline Word for “The Enchanted Forest” and Elizabeth Andring for “The Spell Test”
Third Grade: Lila Jensen for “Wipe Out” and Walks Ruhland for “Clarices’s New Home”
Fourth Grade: Bella Hooks for “The Gauntlet of Courage” and Ari Hooks for “The Courageous Ones”
Fifth Grade: Heloise Humphreys for “The Climb” and Afsa Aman for “The Worst Field Trip Ever”
Middle School Honorable Mentions
Sixth Grade: Weezie Worley for “Vivi's soil” and Francis Holman for “Bri’s Skis”
Seventh Grade: Samantha Do for “Sara and the Monster” and Jeannie Xu for “Finding Light Between the Broken Pieces”
Eighth Grade: Seaton Edmonds for “Roar of Redemption” and Ellie Kate Davis for “The Loka”
Upper School Honorable Mentions
Ninth Grade: Mayra Arshad for “Untitled” and Mathilde Wesson for “Untitled”
Tenth Grade: Esme Larschan for “The Monster in the Woods” and Lucy Lyon for “Know Your Place”
Eleventh Grade: Celine Kim for “The Lion, the Mountains, and Quinn” and Stephanie Chen for “The Heart of the Forest”
Twelfth Grade: Selin Hepvar for “A Cafeteria Adventure” and Ali Barton for “Untitled”
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