From left to right, Nate Noble, Genesis Lopez and Melanie Engels each received a $2,000 scholarship for their work in the SWWC Creative Writing Contest. Among high school juniors and seniors, they had the top submissions in poetry, nonfiction and fiction writing.

MARSHALL — Words and stories have a powerful effect for people, Nick Northrup said. That was part of the reason it was impressive to see southwest Minnesota youth sharing their writing, he said.

“That you are starting to hone this talent, and learn how to express it in a very beautiful way at a young age, you’re already way ahead of the rest of us,” Northrup told winners of the Southwest West Central Service Cooperative and SMSU’s Creative Writing Contest. Northrup, a hip-hop artist and former Southwest Minnesota State University student, was the keynote speaker at an awards ceremony Sunday.

Students in grades 3-12, at schools from around the region, submitted poems, fiction and nonfiction writing to the contest. Students’ writing was collected in an anthology book, and first place winners in grades 11 and 12 received an additional award, of a $2,000 scholarship.

Nate Noble of Marshall received a scholarship for his first-place poem. Melanie Engels of Ivanhoe received a scholarship for her first-place fiction writing, and Genesis Lopez of Mountain Lake received a scholarship for her first-place nonfiction writing.

SWWC and SMSU have partnered on the creative writing contest for more than 20 years, organizers said. Students in grades 3-12 from around southwest Minnesota submitted poems, fiction and nonfiction writing to the contest.

Jessica Hennen, director of creative writing at SMSU, said university creative writing students and English department faculty helped read and judge all the entries. Some categories and age groups had a lot of competition, she said.

“Some categories had a ton of submissions,” Hennen told the audience. “I am here to tell you that if you won in poetry in third through fifth grade, be especially proud of yourself.”

Scholarship recipients said having their writing selected by the judges was exciting.

“It’s just so awe-inspiring,” Noble said. Noble said he has written about sports, but for his poetry contest entries, he reflected on topics like his own life experiences and emotions.

“Basically, how I felt in the moment, I just wrote it down,” he said.

While Engels said she didn’t have a goal of being a writer, she did draw on a genre of writing she enjoyed – historical fiction – for her contest entry.

“I thought about what kind of stories I like to read, and I wrote one like that,” she said. For historical background, Engels said she used a database at SMSU to help find information on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Noble said his experiences in the writing contest helped him learn that he wanted to keep writing. “I found out, this is my passion,” he said.

Hennen and Northrup both encouraged students to keep writing and expressing themselves. Northrup advised students to pursue things they find meaningful in life, and to find the people who are supportive of them as they keep writing.

“Because you’re not going to stop writing,” he said. “It’s an itch. It’s a calling. It’s not just a thing you like to do, it’s going to keep happening.”

“In reading and writing, you win by doing it,” Hennen said. “That’s the point.”

Creative Writing Contest results

Grades 3-4:

First place poetry – Piper Meinerts, Luverne

Second place poetry – Piper Meinerts, Luverne

Third place poetry – Julia Schroeder, Hutchinson

First place fiction – Vivienne Tatge, Beaver Creek

Second place fiction – Samuel Engels, Ivanhoe

Third place fiction – Kia Wertzema, Hills

Grades 5-6:

First place poetry – McCoy Ackerman, Slayton

Second place poetry – Meggie Keller, Slayton

Third place poetry – Eleanor Schroeder, Hutchinson

First place fiction – Jack Behrends, Worthington

Second place fiction – Naomi Rete, St. James

Third place fiction – Elizabeth Gomez Monterroso, Worthington

First place nonfiction – Bryce Metzger

Second place nonfiction – Cassie Scandrett, Slayton

Third place nonfiction – Caroline Stoel, Lake Wilson

Grades 7-8:

First place poetry – Lexie Overvaag, Luverne

Second place poetry – Vera Prouty, Edgerton

Third place poetry – Laylana Hoffmann, Sleepy Eye

First place fiction – Lexie Overvaag, Luverne

Second place fiction – Vera Prouty, Edgerton

Third place fiction – Lexie Overvaag, Luverne

First place nonfiction – Pennie Moore, Hills

Second place nonfiction – Carter Schettler, Windom

Grades 9-10:

First place poetry – Annie Scandrett, Slayton

Second place poetry – Jacob Lopez, Mountain Lake

Third place poetry – Emma Thompson, Mountain Lake

First place fiction – Ezra Petersen, Mountain Lake

Second place fiction – Shelby Penner, Mountain Lake

Third place fiction – Audrey Dick, Mountain Lake

First place nonfiction – Nate Toutges, Comfrey

Second place nonfiction – Alden Klassen, Mountain Lake

Grades 11-12:

First place poetry – Nate Noble, Marshall

Second place poetry – Melanie Engels, Ivanhoe

Third place poetry – Nate Noble, Marshall

First place fiction – Melanie Engels, Ivanhoe

Second place fiction – Blaine Braun, Slayton

Third place fiction – Fairlane Penner, Mountain Lake

First place nonfiction – Genesis Lopez, Mountain Lake

Second place nonfiction – Lexi Nickel, Mountain Lake

Third place nonfiction – Johnny Fales, Ghent