the power of imagination

Story·Elyse Bambrough, age 7 — In a world of trash and rain, a child builds a forest from discarded materials, creating tigers and toucans from tin, though the colorless creation leaves them longing.

Poetry·Gianna Guerrero, age 7 — A child's poem captures Santa's journey through sound and motion — wind blowing, sleds trailing, rooftops clicking, presents clattering down chimneys.

Poetry·Devon Mann, age 11 — A young writer captures the physical act of writing as thoughts race faster than the hand can move, with words floating like clouds toward San Francisco.

Story·Phoebe Donovan, age 11 — A boy grieving his father's death begins seeing visions of a magical war led by General X, who resembles his dad, until reality and fantasy blur dangerously.

Story·Sean O'Connor, age 3 — A turtle who sees her imagined worlds as real befriends a dog who helps turn her visions into actual houses they can share.

Story·Oliver Giller, age 10 — A boy who counts his 2,476 hairs discovers one is missing and hires a suspicious detective who charges $100 to solve the case.

Story·Alex Berman, age 13 — A whimsical origin story explains how the floating, two-eyed giiants of Chocolate Lemon island became the one-eyed cyclopes we know today.

Story·Vandana Ravi, age 12 — A girl who struggles to speak finds solace in a book about a unicorn and a friend, escaping into its world during lunch before returning to face school.

Story·Sabrina Guo, age 12 — A young violinist tours China with the Joyous String Ensemble, performing alongside master musicians while discovering how music can literally save lives and connect memories across time and place.

Story·Valentine Wulf, age 12 — A teenage inventor's basement startup becomes a global corporation that destroys the environment and exploits workers while maintaining public support through clever marketing and the slogan 'for the greater good.'