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First District RESA

Young Georgia Authors

The region’s best young writers

Every spring, students from kindergarten through twelfth grade compete across our 19 systems. These are the 2026 First District RESA level winners.

Full winners list (PDF) (opens in a new tab)

Elementary

Kindergarten to fifth grade

  1. Kindergarten

    Winner

    “A Pig’s Tree House”

    Jax Turner · Metter Elementary, Candler County

    Second place
    “A Family of Marshmallows”Hope JenkinsNorth Tattnall Elementary, Tattnall County
    Third place
    “My Trip to Disney World”Oliver HarperSugarmill Elementary, Camden County
    Honorable mention
    “Superhero (If I was a Superhero)”Levi BurroughsSatilla Marsh Elementary, Glynn County

  2. 1st grade

    Winner

    “The Lost Hat”

    Blakely Lamb · Toombs Central Elementary, Toombs County

    Second place
    “Mr. Red’s Day”Demond Henson Jr.David L Rainer Elementary, Camden County
    Third place
    “The Rodeo”Dawson HillSouth Tattnall Elementary, Tattnall County
    Honorable mention
    “My Day at Lego Land”Evelyn ClementsSatilla Marsh Elementary, Glynn County

  3. 2nd grade

    Winner

    “Addie’s Adventure”

    Annelise Holmstead · McAllister Elementary, Bryan County

    Second place
    “My Best Trip Ever!”Ellie RountreeSwainsboro Primary, Emanuel County
    Third place
    “Pete the Owl”Hannah ElquzaSmiley Elementary, Long County
    Honorable mention
    “Nora the Fox”Emberlyn BraddockAppling County Primary, Appling County

  4. 3rd grade

    Winner

    “The ‘animal-friendly’ Zoo”

    Paityn Hubble · Screven Elementary, Wayne County

    Second place
    “George McFly’s Big School Adventure”Angelina RodriguesSwainsboro Elementary, Emanuel County
    Third place
    “Bloom Little Flower”Elizabeth RossRichmond Hill Elementary, Bryan County
    Honorable mention
    “The Magical Pencil”Madison WainwrightMatilda Harris Elementary, Camden County

  5. 4th grade

    Winner

    “Miss Fashion Pageant”

    Adeline Jordan · Springfield Elementary, Effingham County

    Second place
    “Gary the Screaming Goat”Aiden ShiehMcAllister Elementary, Bryan County
    Third place
    “The Path to Heaven”Danni Lynn WilliamsonTwin City Elementary, Emanuel County
    Honorable mention
    “The Life of a Betta Fish”Ja’Kobie LeeScreven County Elementary, Screven County

  6. 5th grade

    Winner

    “The Sister Like a Mother”

    Nadalyn Fisher · Todd-Grant Elementary, McIntosh County

    Second place
    “Paco”Charli LongMarlow Elementary, Effingham County
    Third place
    “Downed and Dead”Zoe OliverMcAllister Elementary, Bryan County
    Honorable mention
    “Fashion Week in New York”Charli McQuaigFourth District Elementary, Appling County

Middle and high school

Sixth to twelfth grade

  1. 6th grade

    Winner

    “Duct Tape”

    Alice Van Leeuwen · Camden Middle, Camden County

    Second place
    “Everything Good Comes at A Cost”Vivian GreenEffingham County Middle, Effingham County
    Third place
    “The Great Mouse Misconduct”Nora JohnsonEmanuel County Institute, Emanuel County
    Honorable mention
    “The Bloody Catalyst”Woojoo ChoiRichmond Hill Middle, Bryan County

  2. 7th grade

    Winner

    “The Girl Who Wrote in the Dark”

    Jaycee McNeil · Metter Middle, Candler County

    Second place
    “Between the Playground and the Hallways”Ashlyn BurtonMcIntosh County Middle, McIntosh County
    Third place
    “2nd Place”Emery GodineauxRichmond Hill Middle, Bryan County
    Honorable mention
    “Just a Second”Alexia HarlandLong County Middle, Long County

  3. 8th grade

    Winner

    “The Weight of the Letter”

    Stetson Sheppard · Swainsboro Middle, Emanuel County

    Second place
    “The Girl Who Learned to Stay”Grace YuleRichmond Hill Middle, Bryan County
    Third place
    “One More Time for the Fans”Harper DixonArthur Williams Middle, Wayne County
    Honorable mention
    “Winter”Fatima Oliveros BarcenasToombs County Middle, Toombs County

  4. 9th grade

    Winner

    “Watched, Yet Free”

    Jihyun Song · Richmond Hill High, Bryan County

    Second place
    “What You Left Inside Me”Ericka GrandstaffAppling County High, Appling County
    Third place
    “Dishonour”Darshana ShakyaSoutheast Bulloch High, Bulloch County
    Honorable mention
    “When Pain Stops Asking for Permission”Brodee Cate JohnsonEmanuel County Institute, Emanuel County

  5. 10th grade

    Winner

    “The Scars That Made Me”

    Janiyah Bynes · Statesboro High, Bulloch County

    Second place
    “Something about Sydney”Tammy OutlawTattnall County High, Tattnall County
    Third place
    “Being Read”Kaeleigh CobbMetter High, Candler County
    Honorable mention
    “Letters to A Vanishing Star”Brianna OgleCamden County High, Camden County

  6. 11th grade

    Winner

    “Belt Size Bible”

    Alyssa Graham · Richmond Hill High, Bryan County

    Second place
    “What’s Given Can Also Be Taken”Abygail MedinaLong County High, Long County
    Third place
    “Justice for All?”Daniel CerrilloVidalia Comprehensive High, Vidalia City
    Honorable mention
    “When the Rules Are Wrong”Madison VillaBradwell Institute, Liberty County

  7. 12th grade

    Winner

    “A Legacy Written in Petals”

    Zybrionna Ford · Swainsboro High, Emanuel County

    Second place
    “The Tale of the Vernon: The Mute”Dayton HesterClaxton High, Evans County
    Third place
    “Human Kind”Melissa BedeleanBrunswick High, Glynn County
    Honorable mention
    “A Swing Set with No Swing”Parker JohnsonAppling County High, Appling County

Across the region

Placements by school system

52 placements across 17 school systems. Each links to its grade above.

Young Georgia Authors

Congratulations to every young author

To all participants and winners across First District RESA. Every grade and every placement is in the full winners list.
Full winners list (PDF) (opens in a new tab)