The Govie Writing Awards is a state-wide contest for South Carolina students in grades 6-12. Sponsored by the Creative Writing Department at the SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, the awards are named for the department's founding faculty members—George Singleton and Jan Bailey—and recognize student works in fiction and poetry. Prize winners will receive a bookstore gift card. Teachers of the winning students will also be recognized.

Winners in fiction and poetry will receive the following awards:

  • First Prize: $100 bookstore gift card
  • Honorable Mention: $50 bookstore gift card

Congratulations to the 2023 Govie Writing Awards Winners! 

MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION

George Singleton Prize in Fiction Winner
“My School’s Bathroom Mirrors” by Mae Anderson
R.C. Edwards Middle School
William Chandler, teacher

Fiction Honorable Mention
“Unknown Caller” by Sophia Lore
Riverside Middle School
Theresa Teeple, teacher

Jan Bailey Prize in Poetry Poetry Winner
“Jazz City” by Sophia Ahmed
Fort Mill Middle School
Treva Hammond, teacher

Poetry Honorable Mention
“Mind Palace” by Avery Wilkerson
Homeschooled
Erica Wilkerson, teacher

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

George Singleton Prize in Fiction Winner
“River of the Damned” by Acadia Reynolds
Charleston County School of the Arts
Danielle Detiberus, teacher

Fiction Honorable Mention
“5:17 A.M.” by Abigail Bailey
S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics
Matt Martin, teacher

Jan Bailey Prize in Poetry Poetry Winner
“Giselle, Act II Pas de Deux” by Ava Sommese
Mauldin High School
Denise Patton, teacher

Poetry Honorable Mention
“Dixieland” by Acadia Reynolds
Charleston County School of the Arts
Danielle Detiberus, teacher

The George Singleton Prize in Fiction

George Singleton

George Singleton has published ten collections of stories, two novels, a book of writing advice, and a collection of essays. Over 250 of his stories have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Esquire, Story, One Story, Playboy, the Georgia Review, Zoetrope, Southern Review, Zoetrope, South Carolina Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. He’s received a Pushcart Prize and a Guggenheim fellowship. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, he lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Entry Guidelines

Middle School Division, Grades 6 - 8
  • Submit one story with a maximum length of 1500 words. Only one short story submission per student.
  • Stories must be double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
  • Please number your pages.
  • Remove any identifying information from the story (e.g., name, address, phone number).
  • Submit your work as a Word document or a pdf file.
High School Division, Grades 9 - 12
  • Submit one story with a maximum length of 2500 words. Only one short story submission per student.
  • Stories must be double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
  • Please number your pages.
  • Please title your work.
  • Remove any identifying information from the story (e.g., name, address, phone number).
  • Submit your work as a Word document or a pdf file.

The Jan Bailey Prize in Poetry

Jan BaileyJan Bailey is the author of three books of poetry and is a South Carolina Poetry Fellow. She was chair of Creative Writing at the Greenville Fine Arts Center and designed and chaired the Creative Writing Department at SCGSAH. During her teaching years and after retirement, she has conducted numerous poetry workshops in the Carolinas and in Maine.

Entry Guidelines

Middle School Division, Grades 6 - 8
  • Submit one poem only of any length or form. Only one poetry submission per student.
  • Poem must be single-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
  • Please title your work.
  • Remove any identifying information from the poem (e.g., name, address, phone number).
  • Submit your work as a Word doc or a pdf.
High School Division, Grades 9 - 12
  • Submit one poem only of any length or form. Only one poetry submission per student.
  • Poem must be single-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
  • Please title your work.
  • Remove any identifying information from the poem (e.g., name, address, phone number).
  • Submit your work as a Word doc or a pdf.

Complete the Entry Form


Frequently Asked Questions

The Govie Writing Awards
Girl writing in a notebook