Winning entries are listed in contest-designated Themes and Categories.
SENSE OF WONDER THEME
Poem Category
First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Cole, age 17, and Deborah, age 82
“Jewelweed”
First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Eloise, age 18, and Brian, age 64
“Papa”
First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Caden, age 18, and Kathy, age 50
“Woodland Wonder”
Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ananya, age 8, and Charitha, age 39
“A Mutual Sense of Wonder”
Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Raymond V, age 14, and Raymond IV, age 46
“Nature Near Us”
Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Tanner, age 17, and Becky, age 51
“The Most Beautiful Anything”
Honorable Mention (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Matthew, age 17, Gabriella, age 17, and Colleen, age 24
“Late April”
Honorable Mention (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Haraditya, age 12, and Jaganpreet, age 48
“The Lining of Wonders”
Essay Category
First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Edward, age 15, and Byungyoon, age 50
“Cranes and Korea”
First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Luke, age 16, and Naomi, age 57
“The Song of the Desert”
First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Gyuheon, age 16, and Eric, age 36
“On the Thin Air”
First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Emily, age 16, and Guoyu, age 48
“The Coral Matrix”
Second Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Kaitlyn, age 16, and Jonathan, age 46
“Mosquito Bites”
Second Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Abhipsa, age 15, and Sandhya, age 70
“A Silent Cry”
Second Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Howard, age 13, and Yeonsoo, age 43
“Paying Respect to the Wild”
Second Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Channy, age 12, and Jeon, age 42
“Pagoda Picnic”
Honorable Mention (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
James, Son, and Barry, Dad
“The Park”
Honorable Mention (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ben, age 17, and Amy, age 47
“The Walk”
Poem with Photograph Category
First Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ryanne, age 18, and Christopher, age 52
“The Birches”
Second Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Deul, age 15, and Youngju, age 53
“The Composition of Seasons”
Essay with Photograph Category
First Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Winter, age 15, and Jennifer, age 47
“The Creatures of Calaveras”
First Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Geumbee, age 16, and Gangjee, age 47
“The Dive”
First Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Kathryn, age 17, Thomas, age 18, and Jason, age 46
“Deep Blue Sea”
Second Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Valentine, age 16, and Heekyoung, age 44
“In Search of the Lost Birds”
Second Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Adam, age 17, and Janet, age 52
“Hidden in the Haight”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Emily, age 16, Liam, age 11, and Jason, age 45
“Take a Picture by the Creek”
SENSE OF WONDER/SENSE OF THE WILD THEME
Poem Category
First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Ellie, age 17, and Lisa, age 52
“Iceland”
First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Malissa, age, 12, and Chelsey, age 34
“The Trail We Stand On”
Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Irene, age 16, and Don, age 57
“The Dolphin’s Sea”
Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Tyler, age 16, Sean, age 16, and Terri, Mom/Teacher
“Wisconsin’s Beauty: Changing Seasons”
Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Courtney, age 18, and Jenny, age 46
“Perspective of the Tortoise”
Honorable Mention (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Ryan, age 16, and Dalynn, age 49
“White Tailed Deer”
Honorable Mention (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Madalynn age 17, Darlene, age 76
“The Gorge-ous Wonder”
Essay Category
First Place, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Gavin, age 15, Wen-Kai, age 59
“It Makes a Sound”
Second Place (tie) Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Emma, age 17, Renae, age 47
“Foggy Morning”
Second Place (tie) Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Tyler, age 17, and Tari, age 47
“The Ocean Travelers”
Poem with Photograph Category
First Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Joshua, age 17, and Julia, age 59
“Arroyo Burro Beach”
Second Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Alex, age 17, and Jamie, age 45
“Our Cranes Outside the Window”
Honorable Mention, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Dev, age 16, and Deepika, age 46
”The Call of the Wild”
Essay with Photograph Category
First Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Alexander, age 16, and Jeeyeon, age 45
“Our Wonderful Pollinators”
First Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Daya, age 16, and Ravi, age 61
“Ten Against One”
Second Place, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Mateo, age 16, and Frank, age 45
“A Hidden City”
Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Wild Theme
Sierra, age 17, and Rebecca, age 45
“Perfectly Imperfect Beauty”
General Comments for all 2022 Entrants
This year’s vibrant and diverse entries represent an intergenerational embrace of nature both at home and in far-flung destinations. In all we heard from teams in 9 states, as well as South Korea, India, Shanghai, China and Singapore. Our collaborators included mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, brothers, sisters, and cousins, as well as neighbors and teachers. Together they wrote about adventures in exotic locales and national parks but also about explorations in their own backyards or nearby wildlife sanctuaries. Many discovered underwater wonders through scuba diving or snorkeling. Some informed their writing with careful research. Others just took a close look at what they thought of as familiar, seeing things afresh in partnership with a team member. Though many entries offered cautionary messages—the threats to biodiversity, the need for better stewardship—there is an abundance of hope in these poems and stories. We read about reforestation and the transformation of sewage treatment plants into bird sanctuaries. Our writers find nature still thriving and our future feels more secure for all this attention. As one young participant explained, “I have learned that one’s sense of wonder transforms into love and affection for the source of such wonder, which in turn brings about a sense of urgency to do something for its protection.” Rachel Carson would be proud.
