The 2017 Seton Spring Quarter Easter Short Story Contest
Congratulations to our Finalists!
After three rounds of review, our editors have narrowed down the pool of contestants to the top entries!
Below you’ll find our two winners, Leah Myers and Immanuel Portus. Please take a second and congratulate them below in the comments!
Both Leah and Immanuel showed an strong command of the story writing craft, and conveyed their concepts with great motion and dialog.
In ‘I Trust In You’, Leah was particularly attentive to including cultural detail, and research/familiarity with Hebrew culture. She showed excellent use of characterization, detail, and back-and-forth between the characters.
Immanuel’s story ‘My Victory’ riffed several concepts in a clever way, and literally ran with them. His pacing was intriguing and electrifying.
Only the Finest
As our contestants know, it’s hard work competing in Seton’s contests. Only the finest entries work their way to the top, and every contest entry must pass a three-fold examination on
- adherence to the contest guidelines
- attention to the provided prompts
- quality and excellence of the writing craft
So stay tuned and subscribe to our weekly digest!
Thanks to all of our Round 3 contestants!
They stepped up their game, worked hard on their stories, and provided some excellent candidates.
We look forward to the strong possibility of sharing Round 3’s remaining entries as honorable mentions.
2017 Easter Short Story Finalists
Leah Myers
Grade 12 | First Place Winner | ‘I Trust In You’
Leah Myers is the youngest of three children, and has been homeschooled my whole life. English and writing—her most dreaded subjects—are now two of her favorites. She is a ballet dancer, and plays four different instruments (including voice). She hopes to start playing ukulele and the tin whistle. Aside from those activities, she loves doing all kinds of artwork and writing. She’s found that combining writing and art into graphic novels is excitingly fun. She hopes to teach ballet one day, along with being a part to full-time fiction author (and possibly doing the illustrations). She also loves mountain-biking, and will never be found sitting still for long periods of time.
Immanuel Portus
Grade 11 | First Place Winner | ‘My Victory’
He is 17, hilarious, and the oldest among his 3 siblings. He has attended the best high school and elementary school (aka homeschool) for 8 years. He loves acting, playing the guitar, Saint Philip Neri, and creative writing. He is a competitive runner, soccer player, and a “tree climber.” He spends most of his free time figuring out how to: do a backflip, bring back dinosaurs from the past, cook up a flying car, and build a real lightsaber. He lives near Taal Volcano (The World’s Smallest Active Volcano) in the Philippines. He hopes to be a filmmaker and an inventor one day soon.
Round 3 | Grade 12
Charles Foyle
They Became As Dead Men
Leah Myers
I Trust in You
Round 3 | Grade 11
Immanuel Portus
My Victory
Mary Clare Young
Veritas Vos Liberabit
Round 3 | Grade 10
Olivia Shapic
The Easter Triduum
Maria Pratt
Spear in Hand
Round 3 | Grade 9
Elodie Pierlot
Tomb Of A God
Giselle Faber
Guard of the Tomb
Round 2 | Grade 12
Natalie Pratt
The Centurion
Charles Foyle
They Became As Dead Men
Leah Myers
Song of the Bird | I Trust in You
Round 2 | Grade 11
Immanuel Portus
My Victory
Joey Barron
Easter Miracle
Mary Clare Young
Veritas Vos Liberabit
Round 2 | Grade 10
Chantal LaFortune
The Traveler
Olivia Shapic
The Easter Triduum
Maria Pratt
Spear in Hand
Round 2 | Grade 9
Elodie Pierlot
Tomb Of A God
Amelia Coleman
Soldier of the Truth
Lily Hoffarth
A Roman Soldier Finds His Savior
Giselle Faber
Guard of the Tomb
Round 1 | Grade 12
Natalie Pratt
The Centurion
Emmalie Kernan
THE PURPOSE — The Story of Simon of Cyrene
Charles Foyle
They Became As Dead Men
Leah Myers
Song of the Bird | I Trust in You
Josephine Raphaelle Ng
“One Look” / “Faith Hanging on a Stranger’s Words
Round 1 | Grade 11
Chris Gauthier
A Tale of A Jew
Immanuel Portus
My Victory
Joey Barron
Easter Miracle
Mary Clare Young
Veritas Vos Liberabit
Round 1 | Grade 10
Gabrielle Brounstein
I Shall Be Healed
Anna Regnier
The Sparkling Eyes
Veronica Brown
A Long Night for a Soul
Chantal LaFortune
The Traveler
Paloma Landen
“Constructed Revelation Of A Roman Soldier”
Maria Pratt
Spear in Hand
Genevieve LaFosse
The Guardian of the Tomb
Emily McKinnon
One Mission / I Guarded The Body Which Rose
Olivia Shapic
The Easter Triduum
Round 1 | Grade 9
Lily Hoffarth
A Roman Soldier Finds His Savior
Giselle Faber
Guard of the Tomb
Amelia Coleman
Soldier of the Truth
Christopher Smyth
Veritas. A Soldiers Conversion
Jillian Van Daele
To Follow or Not to Follow
Elodie Pierlot
Tomb Of A God
Contest Details
How to Enter
Register for free to enter the contest. All registrants will be part of a special emailing list to keep you updated and informed about the contest.
Prizes:
All submissions will be judged by grade level, with the potential for first and second place finalists for each grade – if submissions are of sufficient quality.
- 1st place in each grade: $100
- 2nd place in each grade: $50
If the judges decide that there are insufficient entries of note in a grade level, no finalist may be named. Do your best!
Contest Rules
Open to Seton high school students, grades 9-12.
These are your writing prompts for your Easter themed short story. Pick one, and submit one story.
- Imagine you are a member of a zealot group who want to rescue Our Lord from being crucified. Perhaps Simon the Cyrene was a member who got close, but for some strange reason didn’t complete the mission.
- Imagine you are one of the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb of Christ, and the pressure you are under to keep the Jews away. Perhaps your girlfriend is a Christ-follower, and you’re almost ready to convert. How do you handle the strange event of the Resurrection?
- Imagine you are one of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and you’ve only heard about Christ’s miracles. Now that He’s dead, you’re deciding to stay as a Jew. That’s when a stranger joins you and takes you deeper over dinner.
If enough short stories of note are submitted, first and secondary finalists from each grade will be showcased online on the Bayley Bulletin. First place finalists will be featured in the upcoming Spring issue of the Bayley Bulletin. At the judges’ discretion, honorable mentions may be published here online.
Only submissions of the highest quality and care will make it into the contest.
Maximum Length: 5000 words.
Any questions? Ask away!
Guide to Writing a Short Story
Seton counselors have crafted a multi-part guide right here to help you write a short story. Take special note of the introduction, and read carefully through the 3 parts before sending in your story.
