Winning entries from the USA are listed in contest-designated Themes and Categories. International winning entries follow as a separate group. Finally, we include the Special Recognition winners.

SENSE OF WONDER THEME

Poem Category

First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Luci, age 14, and Emily, age 45
“Sopping Wet Soles/Souls”

First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Kenna, age 17, Kaia, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38
“The Circle of Light”

First Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Julianne, age 14, and Helen, age 40
“Nightfall”

Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Sidney, age 16, Sara, age 47, and Elizabeth, age 38
“The Songs of Nature”

Second Place (tie), Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Maxwell, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38
“High Above Chicago”

Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Jacob, age 16, and Elizabeth, age 38
“The Not So Heartless Atlantic”

Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Sierra, age 17, Sophia, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Signaling A New Day”

Essay Category

First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Elizabeth, age 12, and Elaina, age 29
“On the Cherry Tree Trunk”

First Place (tie), Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Zara, age 16, and Simon, age 55
“Embraced”

Second Place, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ella, age 16, and Eric, age 48
“Look Up”

Honorable Mention, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Robert, age 18, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Sunset”

Honorable Mention, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Seth, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Sanctuary of Nature”

Honorable Mention, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder Theme
Grant, age 17, and Terri, age 49
“The Desert’s Soul”

Poem with Photograph Category

First Place (tie), Poem with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Alyssa, age 17, and Kristyn, age 35
“The Ocean’s Waves”

First Place (tie), Poem with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Lucy, age 17, and Amy, age 50
“Floreana Island—A Place of Purity”

Second Place (tie), Poem with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ryan, age 17, Carson, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Paradise”

Second Place (tie), Poem with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Dennis, age 18, and Amy, age 42
“Fences”

Honorable Mention, Poem with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Henry, age 17, Danielle, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38
“A Dog in the Sky”

Honorable Mention, Poem with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Grace, age 17, Tallen, age 17, Jared, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38 (with assistance from Grandma, age 63)
“Wonderland”

Essay with Photograph Category

First Place, Essay with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ainsley, age 16, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Spilling Clouds”

Second Place (tie), Essay with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ryan, age 17, and Lisa, age 53
“The Trees”

Second Place (tie), Essay with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Ethan, age 9, and Jennifer, age 35
“The Magic of Chuck Lewis Wildlife Area”

Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph, Sense of Wonder Theme
Dylan, age 18, and Tracy, age 52
“The Rainbow Gum Tree”

SENSE OF WONDER / SENSE OF THE WILD THEME

Poem Category

First Place, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
McKenzie, age 10, and Sandra, age 76
“Wild Ponies”

Second Place, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Elizabeth, age 17, Michele, age 50, with help from “Dad”
“A Home for Many”

Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Abigail, age 16, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Wings of Faded Hope”

Honorable Mention, Poem Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of Wild Theme
Peyton, age 17, Carmen, age 50, and Alayna, age 15
“Beauty in Nature”

Essay Category

First Place, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Savannah, age 16, and Don, age 48
“Glistening”

Second Place, Essay Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Jonathan, age 16, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Just nature. Just perfection”

Poem with Photograph Category

First Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Larkin, age 15, and Deborah, age 45
“The Trap”

Second Place, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Ellen, age 13, and Whitney, age 29
“Nature’s Ensemble”

Honorable Mention, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Annaliese, age 16, Carissa, age 16, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Years of a Bird”

Honorable Mention, Poem with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Leo, age 11, and Arlene, age 60
“Nature’s Blessing”

Essay with Photograph Category

First Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Ruby, age 16, and Aileen, age 58
“Quercus Rubra Speaks”

First Place (tie), Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Hayley, age 17, and Elizabeth, age 38
“This Was Wild”

Second Place, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Emily, age 16, and Steven, age 50
“Papa’s Land”

Honorable Mention, Essay with Photograph Category, Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Theme
Ben, age 16, Jack, age 18, and Elizabeth, age 38
“Clear Blue”

INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: SENSE OF WONDER

First Place
D. Cojitha, age 12, and Layanthi, age 45 (Sri Lanka)
“Twilight at the Mangrove Forest”

Second Place (tie)
Ji-Woo, age 17, and Yvette, age 43 (South Korea)
“Nature’s Hug”

Second Place (tie)
Yahai, age 16, Ting-Hsun, age 17, and Ronny, (China)
“The Breath of Nature”

Honorable Mention
Rachael, age 9 (South Korea), and Susan, age 63 (USA)
“My Stream”

ENTRIES RECEIVING SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Additional Winning Category: Role of Nature in Family Relationships

Special Recognition
Laurel, age 12, and the late John (grandfather)
“Our Not So Silent Springs”

Special Recognition
Lucas, age 11, Vincy, age 8, and Xingwei, age 42
“A Forest Trail”

Special Recognition
Sam, age 16, and Ameila, mother
“Nature Walk”

Special Recognition
Alexander, age 16, Lynda, age 43, and Ana, age 60
“The Sounds of Nature”

Additional Winning Category: Speaking for Animals Needing Protection

Special Recognition
Michael, age 7, and Befaithful, age 44
“The Beauty of the Tiger Swallowtail”

Special Recognition
Natanya, age 13, Rivan, age 14, and Rupa, age 47
“The Wonder of Butterflies”