Announcing the Second Annual Personal Essay Awards Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the second annual Writer’s Digest Personal Essay Awards!
Congratulations to all the winners of the Second Annual Writer's Digest Personal Essay Awards! Read an interview with the First-Place winner Alyssa Rickert in the May/June 2022 issue of Writer's Digest.
Want an opportunity to win a WD award? Keep checking our competitions page for upcoming competitions.
1. “The In-Between” by Alyssa Rickert
2. “Me, Her, Him, Them” by Eliot Wilde
3. “Slow Time House Dad” by Chris Field
4. “Thousands of Tiny Islands” by Rachel Mans McKenny
5. “I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE: WHEN LOVED ONES BECOME STRANGERS” by MAL KING
6. “Chalk Dust” by Allie Dixon
7. “Healing” by Sarah Hug
8. “A Fully Grown Bird” by Wanda Rhodes
9. “Scavenger of Memories” by Marielena Zuniga
10. “How Are You Doing? ” by Harry Huang
11. “The Midnight Touch” by Toni Lepeska
12. “Family China” by Karen Curran
13. “Migration” by Paula Zwicke
14. “My Blessing from Karen” by Suzanne Byrd
15. “The Long and Winding Road” by Kim Neudorf
16. “Tastin' the Rainbow” by Chela Gutierrez
17. “The Reluctant American” by T.D. Akad Archibald
18. “A Single Heartbeat” by Dan Olawski
19. “The Wonder” by Michelle Redo
20. “The View From The Ashram's Veranda” by Lesli Christianson-Kellow
21. “The Last Victim” by Mary Jeanne Connolly
22. “The Waiting Area” by David Abare
23. “The Fearful Snorkler” by Rebecca Deslauriers
24. “Grace House” by Donna Surgenor
25. “An Unexpected Lesson” by Sharon Sirkis
Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner. She also runs the Flash Fiction February Challenge on the WD blog, encouraging writers to pen one microstory a day over the course of the month and share their work with other participants. As a reader, Moriah is most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook.
Learn more about Moriah on her personal website.
