#FallWritingFrenzy 2026 Winners!
Greetings #FallWritingFrenzy peeps-
Thank you for your patience! We know you’re all excited to see the winners from the eighth annual Fall Writing Frenzy contest!
It wasn’t easy- there were 170 wonderful entries. But Kaitlyn (Fall Writing Frenzy creator) and I, Lydia, (Fall Writing Frenzy co-host) somehow managed to narrow the entries down.
We’re especially proud of the way you all came together as a community. We’ve been overjoyed as we watched you make connections with one another, become inspired in your writing, and cheer each other on. This is what makes the kidlit community so special!
And now….the time has come to make the special announcement everyone has been waiting for…BUT- before we do, we would like to say, from the bottom of our hearts, that you are ALL winners in our eyes. We had trouble narrowing down and choosing the winners because there were so many stellar entries. You are all tremendous writers, and what’s more, you’re devoted to your craft. And that’s the most important thing. So please don’t be disappointed if you don’t see your name below, we could only pick a certain amount. Here we go…
The winners for the 2026 #FallWritingFrenzy contest are:
(in no particular order)
Kathy Halsey (Wonder-fall Mountain Enchantment) will receive a critique from Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan.
Brenna Jeanneret (The Spirit of Pumpkins Past) will receive a critique from Michael Benner.
Anna Marie Evans (Why We (Carotenoids) Are Better Than Chlorophyll: A Fall Leaf Story) will receive a critique from Katie Scott.
Sue Lancaster (The Daily Dread) will receive a critique from Nathan Christopher.
Laura Proven Croyle (The World’s Best Secret-Keeper) receive a critique from Teresa Robeson.
Leslie Yardeni (Autumn Breeze) will receive a critique from Gabriela Baron.
Sharon Korzelius (Green and Gold) will receive a critique from Rena Rossner. (Rena chose this entry)
Michelle S. Kennedy (ETROG MAGIC) will receive a critique from Lesléa Newman.
Susan Jakubowski (Faux Paw) will receive a critique from Diana Murray.
Keke Davis (The Fourteenth Flame) will receive a critique from Aashna Avachat.
Morgan Lau (Mooncake Magic) will receive a critique from Alexandra Levick.
Rebecca Singer (Hannah Finds Her Place) will receive a critique from Chana Stiefel.
Marie Barnett (The Sleepy Skeleton) will receive a critique from Matt Forrest Esenwine.
Kathleen Jacobs (Lemon’s FALL From Grace) will receive a critique from Joyce Uglow.
Francie Dekker (The Pumpkin That Jack Carved) will receive a critique from Tova Seltzer.
Rochelle Smith (Tendril’s Autumn Adventure) will receive a critique from Foyinsi Adegbonmire.
Jessica Jenson (The Boo Wyrm) will receive a critique from Kaitlyn Sanchez. (Kaitlyn chose this entry)
Sue Ko (The Hollow) will receive a critique from Lydia Lukidis. (Lydia chose this entry)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Elizabeth Muster (The Scaredcrow)
Teresa Traver (Library Magic)
Cristina Restrepo-Harner (A Rose for Rosa)
Teresa Speranza Vargas (The Goal of a Young Troll)
Maritere Bellas (A Halloween Catrina)
Celia Cataldo (The Hawthorne Gift)
Shuba Mohan (Survivor Seeds)
Laura Clement (Petrichor)
Shravan Meda (Laltu’s Diwali)
Elizabeth Stiert (Unmasked)
To the winners- expect an email shortly matching you with your donor. You can download the winner’s badge by right clicking on the image below and saving it to your desktop. Feel free to post on social media!
We send you all virtual hugs – please continue to write and connect with the kidlit community! Each voice is distinct and special. Thank you for this wild ride, we are already looking forward to next year’s edition. In the meantime, please follow us on Instagram (Kailtyn and Lydia) to continue connecting. And feel free to follow our blogs:
Kaitlyn’s blog: https://kaitlynleannsanchez.com/blog/
Lydia’s Blog: https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/
And thank you, again, to the lovely donors for their generosity!! Please take a look at their page to see how you can best support them https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/fallwritingfrenzy-2026-donors/
Have a fabulous day and we look forward to continuing connecting with you all!
