At the end of February, *batousaijin and *ThornyEnglishRose (that's me) launched the Children's Literature Contest. Almost three months, and exactly thirty-nine entries later, we have our winners.

You have a lot of reading to do! We have a total of six winners for you (three first-place winners and three second-place), and as many honourable mentions.

Putting this article together, I notice a theme in the winning entries: growing up. So many classic heroes and heroines of children's literature find things happening to them on the brink of adulthood; their stories, as I'm sure many of you already know, are symbolic of the changes they are going through. For me, our winners demonstrate how well this tireless formula really works.

First Place Winners

In Poetry

'Bff' by ~tricksyriver



This is a sweet, childish poem that becomes increasingly more than a sweet, childish poem every time you read it. I love the imagery, the evocativeness and the quirky turn of phrase. The poet makes excellent use of recurring images of nature and food that allude to the growth of the child, both physically and mentally. This poem takes me right back.

She wins:
Three-month subscription from *batousaijin
Six-month journal feature from *ThornyEnglishRose
Three-month journal feature from *batousaijin
One-month journal feature from =Beccald
One-month journal feature from =RLDStock
Journal feature from *kLiT-sHy
Journal feature from =WineWriter
Journal feature from ~Riloffey
Journal feature from ^StJoan
One devwear t-shirt
An illustration of her winning poem from ~AllTheSame

In Fiction: 12 and Under

'Magic' by *ElectroBaby



As we know, the line between reality and fantasy becomes increasingly sharper as we grow. This is a timeless theme in children's literature, and here *ElectroBaby finds yet another new way of exploring it. She tells a charming story of a girl who is growing up, but is determined never to let go of her belief in magic.

She wins:
Three-month subscription from *batousaijin
Six-month journal feature from *ThornyEnglishRose
Three-month journal feature from *batousaijin
One-month journal feature from =Beccald
One-month journal feature from =RLDStock
Journal feature from *kLiT-sHy
Journal feature from =WineWriter
Journal feature from ~Riloffey
Journal feature from ^StJoan
One devwear t-shirt
A feature with *WordCount
An illustration of her winning story from *Umbrav

In Teen Fiction

'Because...' by ~RockerLane1110



What impresses me most about this, next to the quality of writing, is the amount the author is able to achieve in such a very short piece. There must be so many stories inside every school. Did you ever think about who else might have sat at your desk on any given day? We have here five pieces of flash fiction in which five characters are quickly and skilfully carfted to their full, and which all come together to form one complete story.

She wins:
Three-month subscription from *batousaijin
Six-month journal feature from *ThornyEnglishRose
Three-month journal feature from *batousaijin
One-month journal feature from =Beccald
One-month journal feature from =RLDStock
Journal feature from *kLiT-sHy
Journal feature from =WineWriter
Journal feature from ~Riloffey
Journal feature from ^StJoan
One devwear t-shirt
A feature with *WordCount
A poem or short story to her specification from *ThornyEnglishRose

Second Place Winners

In Poetry

'The Dragons' Way' by `Rushy



This is a fun, well structured little poem that I can just imagine lavishly illustrated in a tall, wide, thin paperback. `Rushy's descriptions of dragons can hardly fail to appeal to a child's imagination.

He wins:
One-month subscription from ^GeneratingHype
Six-month journal feature from *ThornyEnglishRose
Three-month journal feature from *batousaijin
One-month journal feature from =Beccald
One-month journal feature from =RLDStock
Journal feature from *kLiT-sHy
Journal feature from =WineWriter
Journal feature from ~Riloffey
Journal feature from ^StJoan

In Fiction: 12 and Under

'The Together Rings' by *msklystron



Jewellery can have immense significance to little girls. Sometimes entire friendships can rest on it. This is a charming, beautifully written story that explores this theme, with a balance of fantasy and realism that the author gets exactly right.

She wins:
One-month subscription from ^GeneratingHype
Six-month journal feature from *ThornyEnglishRose
Three-month journal feature from *batousaijin
One-month journal feature from =Beccald
One-month journal feature from =RLDStock
Journal feature from *kLiT-sHy
Journal feature from =WineWriter
Journal feature from ~Riloffey
Journal feature from ^StJoan

In Teen Fiction

The Green Dragon - Chapter 11 by ~BlueShadowM



I don't need to tell you how popular fantasy stories are with children and teenagers these days. I was touched when I learned that ~BlueShadowM had gone to the trouble of translating a chapter of her novel from its original Swedish just for us, and when I read it, the piece latched right onto my imagination. The characters, the settings and the intriguing mysteries come together to make this a rip-roaring good read!

She wins:
One-month subscription from ^GeneratingHype
Six-month journal feature from *ThornyEnglishRose
Three-month journal feature from *batousaijin
One-month journal feature from =Beccald
One-month journal feature from =RLDStock
Journal feature from *kLiT-sHy
Journal feature from =WineWriter
Journal feature from ~Riloffey
Journal feature from ^StJoan

Honourable Mentions

In Teen Fiction

Claire's Journey: Chapter 6 by ~TheEyeShield only narrowly missed out on second place. The author shows us a glimpse of the life of a teenage girl going through some hard times, and he manages to do so without being sensationalist. I find this character, her problems and her relationships very believable.

Bad Accent by =illuminara beautifully captures the teenage voice. The author has gone with the tradition of following a male/female friendship and, of course, the problems therein - and she's done it better than a lot of published authors can!

The Black Forest: Part 1 by ~darkelfrising caught my attention because I'm a sucker for the old classic fairytale with a twist. I recommend that you take a look at what this very skilled fantasy writer has done with 'Hansel and Gretel'.

In Fiction: 12 and Under

I Love You Mother by ~IrrevocableFate is a sadly sweet little story that I know would appeal to the imaginations of children. Like our two winners, it has a fantasy element that adds real charm to the tale.

Shaking Dreamcatchers by ~RockerLane1110 deals well with a sensitive subject, and tugs on the heartstrings.

In Poetry

War Memories by =Yuskity, according to the author, still needs some work. If that's true, she at least has a promising start with this jaunty, well-structured poem whose macabre element I am sure children would relish.

And finally...

Thanks to everyone who took part, donated prizes and pimped the contest - and of course congratulations to all of our winners.

Further congratulations must go to ~tricksyriver, who recently had a daily deviation with her children's story 'My Lion', which I suggested as part of my campaign to expose the great children's literature on this site. Do please keep reading it, writing it and submitting it. This contest may be over, but I hope it has left at least something of a legacy.