Winners honored in Trine writing competition

Trine University and the Amy Salyer-Nicholls Writing Center honored the winners of the annual Hear My Voice writing competition on April 11 in Wells Theater.

Hear My Voice is an annual, campus-wide writing competition organized by the Writing Center. The contest was originally named after Walter Cunningham, a Tri-State alumnus and primary sponsor of the competition.

This year, there were 86 submissions by 68 authors. Students could enter under four categories: academic writing, poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction. Each category was judged by a faculty member from the Department of Humanities and Communication.

The top six entries from each category were anonymously sent out to the student body to vote on the Student Choice Award.

Winners were gifted a published text containing the winning entries. Cash prizes were also awarded: $100 for first place, $50 for second place, $25 for third place, $15 for honorable mentions and $10 for Student Choice Award.

Award-winners

Lydia Roop, an English major from Decatur, Indiana, won first place and the Student Choice Award in the academic writing category with “To Fear Life Itself.” “The Five Elements of Magical Realism and its Connection to Identity Exploration” by Alex Fosnaugh, an English major from Huntertown, Indiana, received second place.

Mackenzie Rosenau, an English major from Jackson, Michigan, won third place with “Merry Wives of Windsor Fairy Lore and Historical Significance.” Madison Kickbush, an English education major from Valparaiso, Indiana, received honorable mention for “The Effects of Visuals Within Classrooms.”

In the poetry category, Muriel Mackie, a marketing major from Hillsdale, Michigan, won first place for "Suzzanne, Hero of the Glue Lagoon.” Faith Fegley, an English major from Mishawaka, Indiana, received second place for "Red Panda Lego Set Disguised as an I Love You.”

“Listen to Them” by Brock Barger, a marketing major from Westfield, Indiana, was awarded third place, with “Old Bones” by Areeba Kazi, a biology major from Angola, Indiana, receiving honorable mention. “to be alone,” published anonymously, received the Student Choice Award.

Rhiley Paskoff, a civil engineering major from North Canton, Ohio, took first place in creative non-fiction with “The Timeless Train.” "My Life as a Borderline,” published anonymously, placed second.

“Walking Man” by Samantha Marvin, a general studies major from Wauseon, Ohio, received third-place honors. Roop earned honorable mention for “The Pond. “Why I Write,” published anonymously, received the Student Choice Award.

Mackie received top honors in the fiction category for “Copies?” Ireland Hosey, a criminal justice major from Walbridge, Ohio, earned second place for "Dolls.”

Noah Scherer, a dual enrollment student from Wolcott, Indiana, won third place with “Excerpt from Winter’s War.” Marshall Rohrbach, a criminal justice major from Auburn, Indiana, received honorable mention and the Student Choice Award for “The Lone Wanderer.”

This year’s winning entries, as well as an archive of previous years’ winners, can be viewed at trine.edu/write under Contests and Events.