Celebrating the Best Fiction by U.P. Student Writers
MARQUETTE, MI (Feb 28th, 2025)— The Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) is extremely pleased to announce the 8th annual Dandelion Cottage Award winners. The award recognizes U.P. student short story writers for excellence in grades 5 – 12. The Dandelion Cottage Award is funded entirely by charitable donations and no fees have ever been charged to entrants or winners. Students submit stories in consultation with their teachers. The contest now includes honors for first-, second-, and third-place winners in both the senior and junior divisions. The contest is chaired by Larry Buege (Marquette, MI), a UPPAA Board member and author of the popular Chogan series for middle-grade readers.
This year’s winners span the U.P. from DeTour (Chippewa County) to the greater Copper Country. In the senior division (grades 9 – 12), first place will be awarded to Addison Hoffstrom, sophomore at Gwinn HS, for her story “Birth of the Wind” (sponsor Heather Hollands). The award includes a medallion, the winner’s name on a traveling school trophy, and a $250 cash prize. Second place will be awarded to Grace Dee, sophomore at Calumet HS, for her story “Skies” (sponsor Julie Antilla) accompanied by a medallion and $100 prize. A medallion and prize money of $50 will go to third-place winner Gabrielle O’Connor, senior at Copper Country Christian School (Chassell, MI) for her story “The Traveler’s Son” (sponsor Judy Chizek).
The junior division features U.P. writers in grades 5 – 8. Kya Gleason (grade 7) in the DeTour Arts and Technology Academy, won first place for her story “Starlight,” (sponsor Jennifer Livingston) which confers a $150 prize. Gwenyth Skoog (grade 7) in Washington Middle School (Calumet, MI) won second place for her story “Breaking B-3” (sponsor Callie Rastello) which includes a $75 prize. Jemmalee Maleport (grade 8) in Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe PSA (sponsor Aaron Litzner) took third place for her story “The Summer in June” with a $25 prize.
Four of the Dandelion Cottage Award Winners: Addison Hoffstrom, Grace Dee, Kya Gleason, Gwen Skoog
This year’s more than 50 participants came from 20 different U.P. schools including Whitefish Township, Houghton, Ironwood, Munising, Ishpeming, and Mackinac Island just to name a few. This year’s 14 judges would like to thank each and every student who submitted their work. For more information about the annual Dandelion Cottage short story contest, visit www.DandelionCottage.org which features the full text of stories from the previous seven years of contests.
Volkman highly recommends the Young Writers Storytelling Workshop for students wishing to improve their writing craft. Details for this May 17th, 2025 event held at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, please visit www.storytellingworkshop.org. The workshop is led by children’s educator Rehema Clarken, PhD (Hancock, MI) and this year’s event features a new breakout structure so students can personalize the experience to their needs. Enrollment is limited to the first 25 applicants and will begin on March 20th, 2025. Some need-based scholarships will be available.
Each of the honored stories will appear in the upcoming 9th volume of U.P. Reader, UPPAA’s own annual literary anthology featuring short stories, poetry and essays by its members. This successful publication helps spread the word about the organization, raise money for educational programming, and encourages people in the Upper Peninsula and beyond to read U.P. writers. Complimentary copies of the U.P. Reader are available to all U.P. educators and media for the asking. The on-sale date is scheduled for April 15, 2025. Consult your local bookseller for availability or purchase at Amazon. For more information, visit www.UPReader.org.
The awards will also be celebrated at the 27th Annual UPPAA Conference at the Peter White Library in Marquette on May 17th, 2025.
About the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA)
The UPPAA was founded in 1998 and is a non-profit 501(c)6 corporation with the goal of educating and empowering authors of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.. Among its outreach programs are the U.P. Notable Books List, the Dandelion Cottage Award, and a yearly anthology The U.P. Reader.
For more information about this award, contact president@uppaa.org (Victor Volkman
