travel

Personal Narrative·Aleen Watson — A young runner battles self-doubt and physical exhaustion while competing against 349 other girls at the cross-country Junior Olympics in Texas.

Personal Narrative·Clementine Lewis — A young swimmer discovers the underwater world of a Bermuda coral reef, encountering a parrotfish that transforms her understanding of the ocean.

Story·Marlene Dukes — A lonely girl's accidental cross-country journey in a malfunctioning self-driving car becomes an adventure in independence and connection with an unlikely companion.

Personal Narrative·Aila Monacelli Schrider — A student walks from school to the subway, observing New York City's sensory overload with fresh eyes and genuine affection for urban chaos.

Personal Narrative·Siyona Agarwal — During a memorable dinner in San Sebastian, a mother nervously lends her favorite scarf to her daughter, only to stain her own shirt while the scarf remains pristine.

Story·Ashwin Cohen — A retired cop visiting the Louvre discovers the Mona Lisa has been replaced with a forgery and must identify the thief among five suspects using clues and fingerprints.

Poetry·Oliver Halkett — A teen traces identity through three places — Ireland's moody skies and rocky beaches, England's hard books and rock music, and California's eternal summer — finding home in the scattered...

Poetry·Ian Maduff — A car journey through an Indiana wind farm becomes a meditation on movement, shadows, and the hypnotic rhythm of spinning turbines.

Story·Camille Scott — A Jewish girl flees Vienna after Kristallnacht, separated from her family and sent alone to Switzerland while her deported brother's fate remains unknown.

Poetry·Madeline Male — A child watches their old house disappear through the car window as the family drives away to a new home, capturing the moment of leaving.