Young aspiring writers, an assortment of seventh and eighth graders from St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia schools, were honored during the 47^th annual Creative Writing Contest hosted by the American Association of University Women.

The winning students were selected from more than 300 submissions in the fields of fiction, poetry and nonfiction writing. The association celebrated the dedication of local teachers and volunteers who have helped made the contest a success over the decades.

“I was so impressed with the story telling, the vividness, and the emotion in each of these creative works,” regional association president Anita Walls said in a release by the organization. “It was truly an honor and a privilege to recognize these young authors in front of their peers, families and teachers.”

The selected winners included the students Sarah Bess, Emmelene Schultz, Riley Carter, Autumn O’Brien, Griffin Blackford, Natalie Roppo, Rylee Rae Sheridan and Raina Rodriguez. Other winners included Mikey Clements, Luca Karnick, Claire Gillie, Audrey Gross, Genevieve Peterson, Emily Wilkes, Jade Fricot, Elizabeth Barna, Kaela Pacheco and Yalitza Alarcon.

The event served as an opportunity for the students to be inspired by local St. Charles author, Kim Van Sickle, who shared her passion on writing and provided insight behind her craft. Van Sickle is a retired educator and library director.

“We sincerely thank all the teachers and parents for supporting their children’s interest in writing,” the association said in the release.

The association also recognized contest co-directors Mary Ann Stearn and Julieann Shourie for their “hard work and tremendous efforts in support of this tradition.”

The association is a nonprofit that advocates for fairness and success for women and girls in education, sports, equal pay and leadership. The organization lobbies for supportive legislation and supports graduate women’s career success through around $6 million in grants and fellowships, according to the release.

Locally in the Tri-Cities area, the organization hosts speakers and events, such as book groups and social outings.

You can learn more about the organization by visiting, sites.google.com/site/bgstcaauw/.