Circle of Life – by Clara and Kate – Finalist Honors
This story has the virtue of clean colloquial prose (“My grandma has always loved azaleas but I’ve never known why they are so important to her… until we found ourselves at the hospital saying our final goodbyes”) and convincing dialogue (“Come on guys”). My only quibble is that a word or two might have clarified the slightly ambiguous “booth” that features in grandma and grandpa’s first date.

Red Azalea Dreams – by Juma – Finalist Honors
The contrast between the gardener’s bluff indignation (“You can imagine how I feel about that!”) and his louche dreams of murder (“A slim figure lounges on the couch, ebony hair half-covering her habitual frown”) creates compelling black comedy.

Summer Long Ago – by Sophia Still – Finalist Honors
The awareness of one’s own gradual loss of awareness is perhaps the most psychologically complex and poignant of all human crises (see the depiction of HAL’s demise in 2001: A Space Odyssey). Resisting melodrama and for the most part sentimentality, this story depicts the moment when loss and awareness of loss are in brief and painful equilibrium. This is mature subject matter impressively handled by a young person.

Other Finalists

His Eyes – by Susan Giles

Locked In – by Susan Dawson

Recuperating – by Rebecka Pettersson

The Thinking of Home Bush – by  Taria Karillion

White azaleas in a pot (oil on canvas) – by Susan Dawson