The 2014 competition brought entries from as far away as New Zealand and Brazil, and 17 of these United States.
Student Short Story Competition
High school students from New Albany High School and from Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn, MS near Hattiesburg entered this competition.
- 3rd place winner for her story Escape is Casey Jefcoat from Forest County Agricultural High School.
- 2nd place for her entry of the short story A Day of Exploration is E. Jane Blackwell from New Albany High School.
- 1st place in the Student Short Story Competition is also E. Jane Blackwell from New Albany High School for her winning story A Frightful Friday. So it obviously pays to enter more than one short story.
One-Act Play Competition – 27 entries
- 3rd The third place winner of the One-Act Play Competition and recipient of $200 is Max Stewart from Denver. CO for his play Antarctica.
- 2nd Second place for the One-Act Play this year carries the award of $300 and goes to Amy Cuomo from Villa Rica, GA for her play Cybereyes.
- 1st place winner in the One-Act Play Competition goes to Deanna Greaves of Seminary, Mississippi for her play Rubarb.
Mr. Faulkner once said this of the short story, “ I’m a failed poet. Maybe every novelist wants to write poetry first, finds he can’t, and then tries the short story, which is the most demanding form after poetry…”
Short Story Winners
- 3rd place is awarded to Nayereh Doosti from Iran for her story Shila M’s Case as Never Published in Her School Newspaper: An Account of High School Drama in Iran.
- 2nd place Short Story is awarded to Nancy Mason, of Dalton, Georgia for her short story Never Sit in Puddles.
- 1st Place in Short Story goes to a the story You Can’t Play to Win written by Dan Cava from Indian Land, South Carolina.
The Novel
The novel competition here in New Albany is in its second year. The judges said of the winning entry:
Reasons for Selection:
- Considers a common theme in Faulkner: the boys transition to manhood;
- Uses well the “sense of place;”
- Shows clearly and strongly one of Faulkner’s basic tenets for writing when he noted that “the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing…”
- Handles well a sophisticated narrative structure;
- Develops character well.
The winning novel is titled Finding Pluck, written by Peter Difatta from Jacksonville Beach.
“Finding Pluck is a pleasing twist on the traditional bildungsroman, the novel about growing up.” -Judge for the 2014 Novel Competition
