Creative Writing

DID YOU KNOW -- The Virginia High School League began recognizing excellence in creative writing in 1924 with contests in poetry and short story writing.  The winners that year were George Leckie of E.C. Glass High School and Charles Feltner of Berrysville High School, respectively. 

Twenty-two years later, the contest expanded to include a category in essay writing and the League also began awarding schools for their overall folder submissions of poems, short stories and essays.  That first year, schools in four classifications were state champions:  Lane (I), John Handley (II), Fincastle (III) and Greenwood (IV). 

Today, just 22% of the League's schools participate in creative writing and the League is looking for ways to breathe new life into this valuable program.  In 2008-09, Radford High School, Charlottesville High School and George Washington High School of Danville took the Group A, AA and AAA state titles.

487 girls and 273 boys at 51 member schools participated in creative writing in 2008-09.

In Creative Writing