By Human Hands: 2026 Contest Anthology of Winning Entries
SouthWest Writers has spent over 40 years helping individuals learn, grow and refine their individual styles in terms of the craft (and business) of writing. And it was from this place of dedication that the theme for this year was manifested. By Human Hands was inspired by the love for the craft of writing. It was inspired by the desire to give voice to our own unique styles. It was inspired by the need to show that storytelling is rooted in the human.
Each of the individual pieces featured in this anthology are crafted from the unique minds of courageous writers who challenge themselves and others to turn boldly away from the convenience of artificial intelligence and step bravely into the world of self-imagination.
Turn the pages and discover the unique voices of human writers.
For Sale
Paperback editions of the anthology are available on Amazon. Revenue from the sale of By Human Hands will support SouthWest Writers, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to helping both published and unpublished writers improve their craft and further their careers.
Below are the winners of the 2026 writing contest as listed in the Table of Contents. (For place standings, go to 2026 Writing Contest Winners.)
Short Nonfiction
Article/Essay
“Are Human Hands Important?” ♦ Leonie Rosenstiel
“An Unscheduled Challenge: Post-Traumatic Stress” ♦ Jim Tritten
“The Playroom Closet” ♦ Sarah Kotchian
Memoir
“(Out) On the Front Porch” ♦ Miranda Gil
“Break Out the Shotguns” ♦ Jim Tritten
“Gifts of the Acequia” ♦ Linnea Hendrickson
Prose Flash Fiction
“Banzai Buddies” ♦ Rose Marie Kern
“Life and Death: Crowdsourced” ♦ Joshua Colenda
“A Brief Encounter” ♦ Mark Fleisher
Poetry
Free Verse
1st Place Tie: “Three Wise Women” ♦ Nancy Schrock
1st Place Tie: “Gods of Santa Fe” ♦ Wendy Stein
“Mainspring” ♦ Charles Garcia
Haiku
Kathleen Holmes
Kathleen Holmes
Kathleen Holmes
Limerick
“Asp-irations” ♦ Mark Fleisher
“Bullet-spoof” ♦ Shen LaSarten
“New in New Jersey” ♦ Mark Fleisher
Opening Chapter Unpublished Fiction
General Fiction
“The Bootleggers” ♦ Robert Leger
“The Fort Johnson Maid” ♦ Frances Dupont
“Sarah Sherman’s Fortune — A Novel of the Gold Rush” ♦ Richard C McPherson
Mystery/Crime/Thriller
“Mrs. Tanglewood’s Collection” ♦ Judy Castleberry
“Operation Indigo Blue” ♦ Dita Dow
“The Creation Syntax” ♦ Bonnie Adams
Speculative Fiction
“The Sorcerer’s Daughter” ♦ Dita Dow
“Moon Story” ♦ Jill Bailey
“Firestorm Saga” ♦ Jack Yerby
Opening Chapter Unpublished Nonfiction
General NonFiction
“Navies and Military Doctrine” ♦ Jim Tritten
“Chapter 1 — Wolf Count” ♦ Paula Nixon
Memoir
“Journaling My Return to Cello” ♦ Virginia Ewing Hudson
“The Boy Who Would Not Burn” ♦ Kevin Getchell
“A Call to Stand Up: Part Memoir, Part History, Part Exhortation” ♦ Sherri Burr
Short Fiction
General Fiction
“Wildlife at Saint Marks, 2019” ♦ Robert Temple
“Climbing Mount Everest” ♦ Roger Floyd
“The Cabin” ♦ Dita Dow
Mystery/Crime/Thriller
“Ladies of the Club” ♦ Judy Castleberry
“American Gothic” ♦ Sean Fitting
“Cleaver” ♦ Patricia Acri
Science Fiction/Fantasy
“Absent the Others” ♦ Nancy Schrock
“The Last Dragon Slayer” ♦ Mary Therese Ellingwood
“The Typographic Team” ♦ Chris Allen
Speculative/Horror/Paranormal/Etc.
“Red Cells” ♦ Joseph Mangles
“The Prophet” ♦ Dita Dow
“The Other Side of the Wall” ♦ Kathrine Susan Eads
Young Adult
“The Snake Pit” ♦ Mary Therese Ellingwood
“Finder’s Keepers” ♦ Rose Marie Kern
Young Reader/Middle Grade
“Just Listen!” ♦ Rose Marie Kern
“Bringing Home the Bacon” ♦ Mary Therese Ellingwood
Short Screenplay
“Light Through Water” ♦ Herman Johansen
“Waiting Games” ♦ Anna Riley-Pate
“The King” ♦ Joshua Colenda