Fourteen Finalists Selected for 2015 Gaithersburg Book Festival High School Student Short Story Contest

International Best-Selling Author Sarah McCoy to Serve as Finalist Judge

Gaithersburg, Md. – April 2, 2015 – First-round judges have selected 14 finalists from a pool of more than 150 entries for the Gaithersburg Book Festival’s fifth annual High School Student Short Story Contest.

The first-, second- and third-place winners, along with a fan favorite, will be announced on Saturday, May 16, at the Festival, which is held on the grounds of City Hall in Gaithersburg, Md. Winners will receive $100, $50 and $25 gift certificates, respectively. The prizes are provided by the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus.

The winning stories will be selected by Sarah McCoy, a New York Times, USA Today and international best-selling author of the novels “The Baker’s Daughter,” a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee, and “The Time It Snowed In Puerto Rico.” Her next novel, “The Mapmaker’s Children,” is due out in May 2015. McCoy grew up in Northern Virginia, and taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso. She lives with her husband, an Army physician, and their dog, Gilbert, in El Paso, Texas.

“I’m honored to be asked to serve as the judge for the 2015 GBF High School Short Story Contest,” said McCoy. “Having attended high school in the D.C. area, I look forward to reading the creations of the finalists, and supporting the newest generation of local storytellers.”

The 14 finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

• Samantha Anderson – Anderson Academy, Newport News, Va.
• William Choi – Sidwell Friends School, grade 11, Washington, D.C.
• Riley Corboy – Gaithersburg High School, grade 12, Gaithersburg, Md.
• Aline Dolinh – Oakton High School, grade 11, Oakton, Va.
• Samuel Enriquez – homeschooled, grade 10, Annapolis, Md.
• Madeline Gresh – Academy of the Holy Cross, grade 12, Rockville, Md.
• Mary Kasputis – Oakton High School, grade 10, Oakton, Va.
• Maggie Leon – Gaithersburg High School, grade 12, Gaithersburg, Md.
• Allison Marie McGlone – Yorktown High School, grade 10, Arlington, Va.
• Alexander McLaughlin – Grace Brethren Christian School, grade 9, Upper Marlboro, Md.
• Kevin Robinson – Oakton High School, grade 10, Oakton, Va.
• Jenna Schwartzman – Oakton High School, grade 10, Fairfax, Va.
• Elizabeth Woolford – Yorktown High School, grade 10, Arlington, Va.
• Annika La Vina – Walter Johnson High School, grade 11, Kensington, Md.

Entrants included public, private, and homeschooled students from 12 jurisdictions throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Jurisdictions included the Maryland counties of Anne Arundel, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s; the Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William and Spotsylvania, as well as the City of Newport News, and Washington, D.C.

The finalists’ stories have been posted to the Gaithersburg Book Festival website at https://gaithersburgbookfestival.org/gbf-programs/short-story-entries/. Visitors are encouraged to read the stories and “like” their favorites to help determine the “Fan Favorite” entry.

About the Gaithersburg Book Festival

The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. Now in its sixth year, the Festival has become one of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The 2015 Festival will be on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the grounds of City Hall in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Md. Other activities include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors and food, drink, ice cream and more. Admission and shuttle service from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall are FREE. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org.