Lake Oconee Academy is proud to celebrate its student writers who earned top honors in the 2026 Young Georgia Authors (YGA) Writing Competition, a prestigious statewide program recognizing excellence in student writing across Georgia.
The Young Georgia Authors competition, sponsored by the Georgia Language Arts Supervisors (GLAS) and the Georgia RESA Network with support from the Georgia Department of Education, encourages students in grades K–12 to develop enthusiasm for and expertise in writing, while also celebrating achievement in both arts and academics.
Students across Greene County submitted original works that represented a wide variety of genres, including short stories, poetry, personal narratives and literary analysis. After a rigorous judging process at the district level, first-place winners in each grade advanced to the Regional RESA competition.
Lake Oconee Academy is proud to recognize the following district-level first-place winners:
• 1st Grade: “Candy House” – Jemma Easley
• 4th Grade: “Crows Can Be Thieves Too” – Isabella Broughton
• 6th Grade: “A Skilling Fiasco” – James Poucher
• 7th Grade: “Where I’m From” – Hallie Wilcher
• 8th Grade: “I Feel” – Sima Bahr
• 9th Grade: “House of Sin” – Noah Angle
• 10th Grade: “The Trial of the King” – Ethan Ralston
• 11th Grade: “Alethea’s Crypt” – Alley McCullough
• 12th Grade: “A Bad Taste in My Mouth” – Emilia Viscarra
The competition allows students full creative freedom within a 1,900-word maximum, making each submission a truly original representation of the student’s voice and craft. Each entry was evaluated on expression of ideas, language use and the writer’s unique perspective and voice, all hallmarks of the YGA judging criteria.
Upper School Instructional Coordinator for Humanities, Caroline St. John, shared her pride in the students’ accomplishments. “These results reflect the quality of our writers across our entire campus from kindergarten to 12th grade. Our students’ ability to express themselves and communicate clearly through their writing are strong indicators of future success.”
All district first-place entries have now advanced to the RESA 5 competition, with regional then state winners to be announced later this spring. Through opportunities like the Young Georgia Authors competition, Lake Oconee Academy continues to foster a culture that values creativity, critical thinking and student voice, empowering young writers to tell their stories with confidence and clarity.