Creative Writing Awards: Random House, Inc. Awards $105,000 in Scholarships

The Random House, Inc. Creative Writing Competition awarded $105,000 in scholarships on Monday, Jun 13 to fifty-six students at New York City public high schools, for original poetry/spoken word, memoir, fiction and graphic novel compositions. Another seventy-eight students received honorable mentions. 

Since 1994, more than two million dollars have been awarded to students and their schools by Random House, Inc. and the Bertelsmann Foundation through these awards competitions. Markus Dohle, Chairman and CEO of Random House said, “Students are inspired to participate in the Random House, Inc. Creative Writing Competition because we invite them to write from their hearts and submit stories on any topic, in any style. The entries and winning selections are as diverse as the city they represent. We are so proud of this program and all of our scholarship award recipients.”

More than 1,300 entries were received from a diverse number of public high schools throughout the city’s five boroughs. The awards ceremony, a fully-produced theatrical presentation which took place at the Michael Schimmel Center in New York City, included dramatic readings, one-act plays, poetry/spoken word, and graphic-novel presentations from top winners, including $10,000 recipients. The 2011 first-place winners were:

•Filipa Ioannou, for Memoir, from Hunter College High School

•Chelsea John, for Poetry, from The High School for Fashion Industries

•Charlotte Ahlin & Jalilah Byrd for Graphic Novel, from Hunter College High School

•Sapphire Duveau, for Fiction & Drama, from Brooklyn College Academy

The winning high school seniors, their families and teachers, and publishing industry leaders were joined on by Spiegel and Grau’s Hilary Thayer Hamann, author of ANTHROPOLOGY OF AN AMERICAN GIRL and Villard’s GB Tran, author of the graphic novel VIETNAMERICA. The evening was produced and directed by OOBR award-winning actor and creator of the Random House, Inc. WRITE NOW! writing workshops, author Richard Hoehler.

For more about the Random House, Inc. Creative Writing Competition, please visit our website at www.randomhouse.com/creativewriting.