20th Annual 2026 Celebrate the Arts Writing Contest - Winners!

The Arts Council of Westerville is honored to announce the winners of the 2026 Celebrate the Arts Writing Contest. Thank you to the 100 writers who shared their creativity by entering the contest this year. We are grateful for your participation.

Our judges have selected the winners. The writers will be honored and receive 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention certificates at an awards reception on April 12th.

All contest entries will be included in a professionally published book. Copies of the book entitled “Celebrate the Arts Writing Contest 2026” will be ready for purchase at Lulu.com after April 15th.

2026 Winners

Winners in alphabetical order:

Leah Ankrum

Sharon Auberle

Beatrice Bohinc

Carter Boley

Max Crites

Vikram Dasa

Janae Franc

Kareem Guettatfi

Kirk Jones

Sophia Lechiara 

Nate Matthews

Nora Miller                                        

Adelynn O’Connor

Mya O’Daffer                                      

                                 Meghna Rahman                                  

Cher Scholl                              

Madison Searcy   

Amy Stark                   

Violet Thorpe 

SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS

As a partnership between the Arts Council of Westerville and the Westerville Public Library, this contest is one of many events organized by the Arts Council to mark April as "Celebrate the Arts" month in Westerville. Sponsored by the Friends of the Westerville Public Library.