Meet the Winners of the 2025 K12 Writing Competition

What happens when K12-powered students are invited to tell a story?

You get poems that make readers pause and reflect. You get imaginative adventures filled with unexpected twists. You get thoughtful essays that share real-life experiences in powerful ways.

The first-ever K12 Writing Competition brought together young writers in grades K–12 from across the country, and the results were inspiring. Now, it’s time to celebrate the students whose words stood out and captured the attention of judges and readers alike.

Students earned the following awards for their work:

• 1st Place winners in each grade and category receive $250.
• 2nd Place winners receive $100.
• People’s Choice winners, selected through public voting, receive $50.

Winning pieces will appear in The K12 Writers Collection, an official K12 publication celebrating the work of these standout student authors.

Let’s take a look at the winners. You can also read the winning entries.

2025 Poetry Winners

Exploring Emotion, Rhythm, and Imagery Through Original Verse

Through carefully chosen words and creative expression, these students crafted poems that leave a lasting impression.

1st Place

Keilani, Kindergarten, Lone Stare Online Academy at Roscoe
My Sister Is Little

Kaizer, 1st Grade, Indiana Gateway Virtual Academy
My Big Adventure

James, 2nd Grade, Ohio Virtual Academy
Gaming With the Pig

Joanna, 3th Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
My Day

Jordin, 4th Grade, Cascade Virtual Academy
The Day the Classroom Sneezed!

Leah, 5th Grade, Ohio Virtual Academy
The Rain

Arvin, 6th Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
A poem of a poem.

Aundrea, 7th Grade, Lone Star Online Academy at Roscoe
Never Really Shatters

Dayanna, 8th Grade, Highpoint Virtual Academy
The Strength of Walking Alone

Ava, 9th Grade, Arizona Virtual Academy
The Ballroom

Emma, 10th Grade, Texas Online Preparatory School
Hello, World

Ava, 11th Grade, California Virtual Academies–San Joaquin
Resilience Writes Itself

Abrar, 12th Grade, Kentucky Virtual Academy
Moments That Stay

2nd Place

Lovely, Kindergarten, Virginia Virtual Academy
I Believe In Me

Monica, 1st Grade, Ohio Virtual Academy
White Snow Falls

Royalty, 2nd Grade, Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan
Dreams Do Come True

Amina, 3rd Grade, Lone Star Online Academy at Roscoe
A Trip With the Wind

Renesmee, 4th Grade, Indiana Digital Learning School
Race Car

Luna, 5th Grade, Arizona Virtual Academy
Flying South

Elena, 6th grade, California Virtual Academies
A Fresh Start

Lena, 7th Grade, Ohio Virtual Academy
Rosie the Loaf

Rayanna, 8th Grade, Indiana Digital Learning Academy
The Only Open Door

Bria, 9th Grade, Highpoint Virtual Academy
Change is His Name

Savannah, 10th Grade, Hoosier College and Career Academy
I Am the Quiet Storm

Morgan, 11th Grade, Hoosier College and Career Academy
kindling

Jackson, 12th Grade, Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville
Underbrush

2025 Fiction Winners

Where Imagination Takes the Lead

These writers used storytelling to bring characters, adventures, and entire worlds to life.

1st Place

Ellie, Kindergarten, Indiana Gateway Digital Academy
Shooting Star

Grant, 1st Grade, Destinations Career Academy of New Mexico
Super Troll

Levi, 2nd Grade, Cyber Academy of South Carolina
A Day in Ava’s Life

Ziad, 3rd Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
The Noisy Popcorn Box

Mason, 4th Grade, Pine Springs Preparatory Virtual Academy
The Adventures of Mr. Spy Ball & Mr. Spy

Hannah, 5th Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
The Pride of the Old Lioness

Kennedy, 6th Grade, Indiana Gateway Digital Academy
The Birthday

Antonio, 7th Grade, Indiana Gateway Digital Academy
The Iron Oath

Emmit, 8th Grade, Hoosier College and Career Academy
The Feeling of Music

Kelsie, 9th Grade, Destinations Career Academy of New Mexico
The Truth

Alyssia, 10th Grade, Cyber Academy of South Carolina
The Road Between Us

Omari, 11th Grade, Arizona Virtual Academy
The China Closet

Ireland, 12th Grade, California Virtual Academies
The Gardener

2nd Place

Madeline, 2nd Grade, Indiana Digital Learning School
The Playful Quadpluits Abandoned

Alena, 3rd Grade, California Virtual Academies
Diary of a Cat—It’s Thanksgiving

Aurora, 4th Grade, Indiana Digital Gateway Academy
Born Wild

Brigitta, 5th Grade, Minnesota Virtual Academy
Golden Birthday

Kaylee, 6th Grade, Lone Star Online Academy at Roscoe
A Soul’s Heart

Noor, 7th Grade, California Virtual Academies
Memories

Arie, 8th Grade, Hoosier College and Career Academy
The Memory Thief of Locker 213

Fatima, 9th Grade, Ohio Virtual Academy
Fragmented

Uriah, 10th Grade, Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville
Crunch Time

Emmalea, 11th Grade, Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville
Love That Never Fades

Michaela, 12th Grade, Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy
The Voicemails

2025 Nonfiction Winners

Real Stories That Inform and Inspire

In this category, students shared personal reflections, ideas, and experiences that offered meaningful insight into their lives and perspectives.

1st Place

Alisha, 4th Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
Duck-Billed Platypuses

Lucia, 5th Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
On My Way

Charly Cheeks, 6th Grade, Ohio Virtual Academy
I Know What Bullying Feels Like

Maizah, 7th Grade, Washington Virtual Academy
A Spectacular Sight

Ashlyn, 8th Grade, Missouri Virtual Academy
The Tonsillectomy

Faith, 9th Grade, Indiana Digital Learning School
5 Years and Counting

Liliana, 10th Grade, Iowa Virtual Academy
Pheasants & Proposals

Mirta, 11th Grade, Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville
Our Secret Language

Anewa, 12th Grade, Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville
Footprints of the Past

2nd Place

Joah, 4th Grade, Cyber Academy of South Carolina
Universes

Emma, 5th Grade, Cascade Virtual Academy
The Great Brain

Zahra, 6th Grade, Texas Online Preparatory School
Ham Can Really Harm You!

Isabella, 7th Grade, Cyber Academy of South Carolina
The Day I Learned Courage

Marco, 8th Grade, Pine Springs Preparatory Virtual Academy
Terraforming Venus

Delilah, 9th Grade, California Virtual Academies,
Whispers Under Her Skin

Jolena, 10th Grade, Indiana Gateway Virtual Academy
A Room Without Windows

Derrick, 11th Grade, Marian University Preparatory School
Saint Dismas and Morality

Madison, 12th Grade, Texas Virtual Academy at Hallsville
A Light That Never Fades

People’s Choice Winners

Community favorites

In addition to the judged categories, the K12 community helped choose People’s Choice winners through public voting. With 25,930 votes cast, readers showed their support for the pieces that stood out to them most.

Scarlett, Kindergarten, Lone Star Online Academy at Roscoe
MerBunny (Fiction)

Haru, 1st Grade, Highpoint Virtual Academy of Michigan
The Story of Powers (Fiction)

Elora, 2nd Grade, iQ Academy Minnesota
In the Night (Poetry)

Ziad, 3rd Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
The Noisy Popcorn Box (Fiction)

Stone, 4th Grade, Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy
Ulric and the War of Orcs (Fiction)

Rema, 5th Grade, Virginia Virtual Academy
The Day I Got My Stitches (Nonfiction)

Christian, 6th Grade, Texas Online Preparatory School
Tis the Season (Poetry)

Maizah, 7th Grade, Washington Virtual Academy
Behind the Screens (Nonfiction)

Deja, 8th Grade, Arizona Virtual Academy
The Camp of Suspense (Fiction)

Bibi Zohra, 9th Grade, California Virtual Academies
mountains and story (Poetry)

Nevaeh, 10th Grade, Carolus Online Academy
I will choose to be kind. (Poetry)

Anecia Stepney, 11th Grade, Texas Online Preparatory School
The Answer They Wanted (Fiction)

Aviyah, 12th Grade, Insight School of Oklahoma
Pink Room (Poetry)

To every student who submitted a piece: thank you for sharing your voice. The creativity, honesty, and imagination in these entries are exactly what make competitions like this so special. We’re already looking forward to seeing what students create next.

If your child loves opportunities to explore their creativity, you can find more competitions, challenges, and virtual experiences at enrichment.K12.com. And be sure to follow K12 on instagram.com/K12.student/ for student spotlights, competition updates, and future announcements.