GCWA Writing Contests: Previous and Most Current Winners
Winning is not only a rewarding achievement—it also adds valuable recognition to your writing credentials and can make a strong impression on literary agents.
GCWA 2025 Writing Contest Winners:
Congratulations to the 2025 GCWA writing contest winners.
Poetry Winners:
FIRST PLACE: The Puzzle Piece, Suzie Eisinger, Marco Island, FL
SECOND PLACE: I am Nobody, Matthew Collins, Salem, NH
THIRD PLACE: Purgatory, Geneva Kelly, N. Fort Myers, FL
Fiction Winners:
FIRST PLACE: Twenty Minutes Until Showtime, Linda Saether, Cape Coral, FL
SECOND PLACE: The Nightingale Sang On, Dave Williams, Prosper, TX
THIRD PLACE: Harvest of Death, Marilyn Seguin, Akron, OH
NonFiction Winners:
FIRST PLACE: Impressions of India, Roger Baker, Naples, FL
SECOND PLACE: Tommy, Thea Stuart, Des Moines, Iowa
THIRD PLACE: Other Side of the Mountain, Patti Walsh, Fort Myers, FL
Honorable Mentions
Poetry: A Jewel in the Sun by Jeanne Meeks, Hey Nineteen by Karen Vazquez, Waltzing Wild
West by Amy Pontius.
Fiction: Cold Feet in Shoetown by Lenea Howe, Peter Hamilton by Mary Charles, Judged by
Richard Drummer.
Nonfiction: I’m a Walker by Jenean Roth, Knee Replacement from a Woman’s Perspective by
Ginger Wakem, The Gate Opens by Monica Wright.
Thanks to all who participated. Judging is difficult and inevitably somewhat subjective.
We enjoyed reading your work. You made 2025 the largest and most competitive
contest to date. Write on.
GCWA 2024 Writing Contest Winners:
Congratulations to the 2024 Gulf Coast Writers Association writing contest winners.
Poetry Winners:
FIRST PLACE: Maracaibo Melodies, Daniel Moreschi, Wales, U.K.
SECOND PLACE: The Last Decoy, Ed Sessa, Fort Myers, FL
THIRD PLACE: Illogical Imaginings, Amelie Flagler, Raleigh, NC
Fiction Winners:
FIRST PLACE: Prey For Me, Richard Drummer, Bonita Springs, FL
SECOND PLACE: My Whiffenpoof, Bradley Burt, Fort Myers, FL
THIRD PLACE: Woman in the Adidas Shirt, Linda Saether, Cape Coral, FL
Non-Fiction Winners:
FIRST PLACE: Between the Heat and the Bugs, Patti Walsh, Fort Myers, FL
SECOND PLACE: What I Learned About Grief, Sheryl Stillman, Fort Myers, FL
THIRD PLACE: Down the Rabbit Hole, April James, Fort Myers, FL