2024 Living Water Award Winners

Articles

• Combined Published and Unpublished
  • First Place: “Rebecca’s Hope” – Rachel Coggins
  • Second Place: “The Pecan Pie of Love” – Cecil Taylor
  • Third Place: “Easter from the Dark Side” – David Holland

Poetry

• Combined Published and Unpublished
  • First Place – Tie: “After the Play” – Raymond A Russell II and “Into the Deep” – Raymond A Russell II
  • Second Place: “Us” – Joy Cromer
  • Third Place: “In the Grey Dawn” – Michael Shoemaker

Devotions

• Published
  • First Place: “In All Circumstances” – June Foster
  • Second Place: “The Day I Became a Boys’ PE Teacher” – Gretchen Huesman
  • Third Place: “Don’t Fence Me In” – Ellen Fannon
• Unpublished
  • First Place: “United as Jesus Intended” – Cecil Taylor
  • Second Place: “Listen for Ways God Calls You” – Pam Antoun
  • Third Place: “Waiting for the Kingdom” – Cecil Taylor

Children’s Books

• All Unpublished
  • First Place: A Time For Everything – Gretchen Huesmann
  • Second Place: David’s Journey To The Throne – Gretchen Huesmann
  • Third Place: Missing Flowers – Julie Schroeder

Nonfiction Books

• First Place: God Adopted Us First – Faith Lessons from an Adoption Attorney’s Adventures – Alice Murray
• Second Place: Gangs, Guns and God – Art Wilson
• Third Place: From Comfort Zone to Truth Zone – Cecil Taylor

Fiction Books

• First Place: Love in the Wind – Ellen Fannon
• Second Place: The Novice Rancher – June Foster
• Third Place – Tie: Foreordained – Raymond A Russell II and Where the Dogwoods Bloom – Jennifer Cotney

Visit the 2024 Photo Gallery page for photos of the winners and event!

2023 Living Water Award Winners

Articles

• Unpublished
  • Winner: “The Goose and I” – Sally Jo Pitts
• Published
  • Winner: “Only Five Minutes” – Sheryl H. Boldt
  • Runner-up: “Ministering to the Least of These–Prison Ministry” – Alice Murray
  • Honorable Mention: “It’s A Good Day to Be a Teacher” – Gretchen Huesmann

Children’s and YA Books

• Unpublished
  • Winner: Grandma’s Little Helpers – Sheryl H. Boldt
  • Runner-up: Charcuterie Mouse – Gretchen Huesmann
  • Honorable mention: Newton’s Laws of Motion – Dorothy Fields
• Published
  • Winner: ABC’s of God with Blitz – Pam Antoun

Devotional

Published:

• Unpublished
  • Winner: “Jesus, Help Me!–A Devotion Gretchen Huesmann For Educators”
  • Runner-up: “Love and Pray–A Devotion For Gretchen Huesmann Educators”
  • Honorable mention: “Cycle of Defeat” Sharon Atwood
• Published
  • Winner: “Outcasts Welcomed” Karen Allen
  • Runner-up: “Don’t Have It Your Way” Alice Murray
  • Honorable mention: “Watered Like A Willow” Alice Murray

Fiction

• Unpublished
  • Winner: The Lion’s Heart – Charlsie Estess
  • Runner-up: Bygone – Annette Griffin
• Published
  • Winner: Stumbling Upon Romance – Sally Jo Pitts

Non-Fiction

Published and Unpublished Combined

• Winner: Defined by Fire: Seven Life-Changing Lessons from Devastating Tragedy – John Rabins
• Runner-up: The Next Thing: A Christian Model for Dealing with Crisis in Personal Life – Cecil Taylor

Poetry

Published:

• Unpublished
  • Winner: “The Redeemer’s Embrace” – Annette Griffin
  • Runner-up: “Moving Day” – Debra Dupre Williams
  • Honorable mention: “Mama Mantra” – Annette Griffin
• Published
  • Winner: “The River Beneath Us” – Raymond Russell
  • Runner-up: “Red Light, Green Arrow” – Jennifer Cotney
  • Honorable mention: “Phosphoresity” – Patricia Tiffany Morris

2022 Living Water Award Winners

Articles

• 1^st Place: “Christmas Miracle at the Mission” – Barbara Antoni Diggs
• Runner-up: “The Real King and I – A Thai Woman’s Faith Journey” – Alice H. Murray
• Honorable Mention: “Mom Journal #143”  – Dorothy Fields

Children’s Picture Book

Published:

• 1^st Place—Tie: The God Hunter – Annette Griffin
• 1^st Place—Tie: The Light We Cannot See – Chris Manion

Unpublished:

• 1^st Place: Father’s Joy: A Fishing Adventure – Dorothy Fields
• Runner-Up: God’s House – Debra DuPree Williams

Devotional

Published:

• 1^st Place: “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider” – Ellen Fannon
• Runner-Up: “The Quieter You Become” – Melony Brown

Unpublished:

• 1^st Place: “Life in a Cocoon” – Rev. Rick Gillian
• Runner-Up: “God’s Perfect Timing” – Rev. Rick Gillian

Fiction

Published:

• 1^st Place: And Then Love Blooms – Sally Jo Pitts
• Runner-Up (Tie): Til Shiloh Come – Patricia Clark Blake
• Runner-Up (Tie):When Secrets Come Calling – Felicia Ferguson

Unpublished:

• 1^st Place: The Knightly Stalker – Annette Griffin
• Runner-Up: Prospect Mercy – Jennifer Cotney

Non-Fiction

Published and Unpublished Combined

• 1^st Place: Journey On! A Survival Guide for Overcoming Life’s Tough Challenges –    Melony Brown
• Runner-Up: Turkey, The Home of St. Paul – Rachel Coggins
• Honorable Mention: Poppy’s Proverbs – Mike Logan

Poetry

Published:

• 1^st Place: “Remembering” – Fay Guinn
• Runner-up: “Christian Creek” – Fay Guinn

Unpublished:

• 1^st Place: “Promised Land” – Jennifer Cotney
• Runner-Up: “Thirsty” – Jennifer Cotney

Young Adult

• 1^st Place: Recovery – Rosemary Althoff
• Runner-Up: Liberty Loser: For The Win – Annette Griffin
• Honorable Mention: Smoking Flax – Jennifer Hallmark

2020 Living Water Awards

Marilyn Turk

Although we’d hoped to have an in-person celebration of our Living Water Award winners, our plans were forced to change. However, the winners had already been selected, so we want to recognize each of you online. An award certificate will be mailed to you as well.

Congratulations to all participants and winners!

Now, our contest coordinator Alice Murray has a word for you and will announce the winners. Thank you, Alice, for all your hard work coordinating this contest!

Marilyn Turk, Director

2020 Living Water Award Winners

While BLCWR 2020 was a casualty of COVID-19, its writing contest survived. A record number of entries were received for an expanded number of categories. Although not every entrant won a Living Water Award for his or her writing, each one was a winner for taking on this writing contest challenge.

Faculty members scheduled to present at BLCWR 2020 gave of their time and expertise to identify the top entries in their assigned categories. Virtual drum roll for the 2020 Living Water Award winners they selected:

Articles

• 1st Place – Renee Norris, “Being Jesus To Those With Dementia”
• 2nd Place – Chris Manion, “5 Steps to Apologies Done Well: How to Say ‘I’m Sorry’”
• 3rd Place – Bridget Carnley, “Oh Holy Night”

Bible Study

• 1st Place – Dottie Rogers, Reluctant Disciples, Becoming Faithful Followers
• 2nd Place – Myrna Conrad, Love, Joy, Peace, Hope
• 3rd Place – Carol McCracken, You Were Created To Wait

Children’s Picture Book

• 1st Place – Chris Manion, The Grateful Boat
• 2nd Place – Renee Norris, Tails of Mercy and Grace: Mercy Shows Kindness
• 3rd Place – Alice Murray, My Baby Sister Is A VEGETABLE?
• Honorable Mention – Dottie Rogers, In The Middle
• Honorable Mention – Marcella Ruch, My Mother’s Most Powerful Gift

Devotional

• 1st Place – Marcella Ruch, “A Brother in Need Is A Brother Indeed!”
• 2nd Place – Ellen Fannon, “You Can’t Outgive God”
• 3rd Place – Patricia Blake, “The Best Gift Ever”
• Honorable Mention – Fay Guinn, “Bringing in the Sheaves”
• Honorable Mention – David Holland, “The Healing Touch”

Fiction

• 1st Place – Paul Morgan, Nemesis
• 2nd Place – Sherri Stone, Babs Has a Bra Burning
• 3rd Place – Ron Lazenby, The Replacement
• Honorable Mention – Jody Armstrong, Denial of the Enemy
• Honorable Mention – Eliza Scalia, Kings Behind the Bars

Non-Fiction

• 1st Place – Sherri Stone, Fat Pants, Scale Errors, and Finding Your True Measure
• 2nd Place – Rebecca Whisnant, Confessions of an Interim Innkeeper
• 3rd Place — Linda Schnepel, It Must Be Me/Destroyed by Lies, Restored by Grace

Poetry

• 1st Place – Fay Guinn, “Distraction in the Afternoon,”
• 2nd Place – Fay Guinn, “Maysa Gabriel—Last Song”
• 3rd Place — Alice Murray, “Mommy Loves Me”
• Honorable Mention – Marcella Ruch, “I Love You”

Young Adult

• 1st Place – Sandy Quandt, No Easy Choice
• 2nd Place — Rosemary B. Althoff, A Soul’s Warfare: The Hot Marble
• 3rd Place – Richard Hartzer, A Confession of Faith

2019 Winners

Living Water Awards

Living Water Awards

Submissions for the 2020 contest are now closed.

• Deadline for submissions is March 1, 2020.

Submission Requirements

Send your submissions as an email attachment to Marilyn Turk at marilynturkwriter@yahoo.com. Put BLCWR Contest Entry with the Category you’re entering in the subject line of the email.

Each UNPUBLISHED, UNCONTRACTED submission must include a cover sheet with: Your name, email address, title of your work, and category entered.

Each page after should not include your name or any tell-tale evidence of the author.

Each submission should be double-spaced, Times New Roman (black), font size 12, with 1″ margins.

Multiple submissions accepted, but not within the same category.