ocean

Story·Adler Savikas — Three royal brothers shipwrecked on separate shores of the same island each journey inland through different terrains before reuniting in a dandelion field at the center.

Personal Narrative·Xi Huang — After witnessing a powerful storm from her Florida deck, a young girl discovers the ocean's terrifying magnificence and gains new understanding of its dual nature.

Poetry·Lexie Dolliver — A sensory celebration of summer unfolds through repeated refrains of birdsong, ocean waves, flowers, and family gatherings.

Poetry·Sage Surra — Fish rise from waters across the world to sing cosmic songs of life, death, and connection, pausing Earth's rotation and revealing the universe's vastness.

Personal Narrative·Amber Zhao — A skeptical traveler discovers unexpected beauty on Australia's Sunshine Coast, finding solace in wild seas, storm-lit skies, and a memorial grove that transforms her perspective.

Personal Narrative·Rachel Jess Bueker — On a windy gray beach day, a girl transforms driftwood into a pirate ship, discovering sea glass and the power of imagination along the way.

Personal Narrative·Luca Molinaro — During a Romanian beach vacation, a boy's fear of massive waves transforms when he learns to surrender to the ocean's power rather than fight it.

Story·Ava Shorten — A river blocked from the sea becomes a puddle who befriends an aging frog that shares stories of the ocean and ultimately carries the puddle to its destination.

Poetry·Benjamin Romano, age 10 — A child sits on a dock at sunset, watching boats bob and waves crash, finding peace in the transition from day to night.

Personal Narrative·Lila Carpenter, age 11 — A girl struggles with anger and sadness as she helps her sister move into a college apartment in Bar Harbor, finding clarity by the ocean.