Fourteen area schools entered the competition. Gore students swept the ninth and 10th grade poetry category, with Taralee Isbell placing first, Shay Deerinwater placing second, and Jessica Starnes taking third. In the ninth and 10th grade fiction category, Dena Qualls placed third, while Ashtin Fletcher placed third in the ninth and 10th grade non-fiction category.
In the 11th and 12th grade poetry category, Jennifer Harper placed second and Colton Montgomery placed third.
In the 11th and 12th grade fiction category, Brittany Hayes received first place, Erin Hefley received second place, and third place went to Nicholas Humphrey.
First-place winners received $50, second-place winners received $40, and third-place winners received $30. Jessica McKinney received special recognition for her entry, which was written in the Cherokee syllabary. McKinney received a $25 cash prize.
The students entered the contest as part of a class assignment in their English class, in which they commemorated Native American Heritage Month. Their English teacher is Lisa Ward.
