Drum roll! The scores are in, and the finalists have been named for the 2021 Royal Palm Literary Awards competition.
RPLA is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in members’ published and unpublished works while providing objective and constructive written assessments for all entrants. RPLA covers some 26 genre-categories for adults and 5 for youth.
The categories cross the broad areas of fiction and nonfiction—short works and book-length, as well as poetry and submissions in a “general catch-all” category. For each category, published and unpublished entries are judged separately.
Winners will be announced at the RPLA Ceremony in October. Stay tuned for more info!
For now, put your hands together for these talented folks alphabetized by last name:
(Note: When pen names were provided, they were used.)
2021 Royal Palm Literary Award Finalists
Adult Finalists
Doug Alderson
Ruth Alessi
Marty Ambrose
Reynolds Andiric
Sophie Bartow
Nancy Beaule
Holly Bebernitz
Lynn Bechdolt
Kerry Blaisdell
Rita M. Boehm
Urs A. Boelsterli
Barbara Bond
Diana V. Braddom
Bonnie Hoover Braendlin
J.C. Bruce
Lisa Buie-Collard
Edward Burke
Joseph Kuhn Carey
Kip Cassino
Steven Charles
William Clapper
Jill Morgan Clark
Joan Lipinsky Cochran
Bette Lee Crosby
Shutta Crum
H. Davis
Zain Deane
Melody Dean Dimick
Arthur M Doweyko
Kristin Durfee
Jessie Erwin
Linda Feist
Catherine U. Fitzpatrick
Elena Fowler
M.R. Gallows
K E Garland
Jay Gilbert
Clay Gish
Juliette Godot
Fern Goodman
Lee Gramling
Lee Fanning Hall
Raymond Hall
Chris Hamilton
Robert Hart
Veronica H. Hart
Arielle Haughee
Doc Honour
John Hope
Ralph Hornbeck
Michael R. Howard
Paul Iasevoli
Emily Irby
Elle E. Ire
Donald Jay
Claire M. Johnson
Catherine Kean
Krista Keating-Joseph
Patrick Kendrick
Ian Kirkpatrick
Susan Kite
Michele V. Knudsen
Linda Kraus
Henry Kuhlman
Coby Lee
Loren Leith
Joan Levy
Susan Lindsley
Lucy & Richard Lipari
Teresa Little
Bree H. Lizbeth
Susan Lloyd-Davies
Lawrence Martin
Claire Matturro
George August Meier
Sharon L. Menear
Leah Miller
Robin Mimna
Howard Moon
Christine Mooney
Mark H. Newhouse
Vanna Nguyen
Virginia Nygard
Akira Odani
Dakota Orlando
Mary Ellen Orvis
Donna Parrey
Elle Andrews Patt
David M. Pearce
Ken Pelham
Jack Pendray
Craig Pennington
Al Pessin
Brian Petkash
Tricia Pimental
Amarilys Gacio Rassler
Barbara Rein
Vicki Riley
Marie Q Rogers
Peter S. Rush
E.A. Russo
Wendy L. Samford, Ph.D.
Kelly Sanford
Ruth Sawh
Cliff Scharke
Lynn Schiffhorst
Juli Simon
K.L. Small
Alison R. Solomon
David Spiegel
D.G. Stern
Betsy K. Stoutmorrill
M.R. Street
Dana J. Summers
Tom Swartz
B. Ulena/Nancy Buscher
Elizabeth Weiss Vollstadt
Joyce Wagner
Mary T. Wagner
Ryan Wakefield
Patti M. Walsh
Diane Weiner
RC White
Karen Ann Wilson
Gayle Woodson
LaDonna Lynn Wright
Suzan E. Zan
Youth Finalists
N.M. Collett
Ana Guardado
Gabriela Hernandez
Samantha Leslie
Marley Mejia
Isabel Mestey-Colon
Andrea Mottau
Gail Dudley
Are people who submit an entry to the RPLA allowed to use ghost writers?
There’s a rumor going around that one did.
Arielle Haughee
No, that is not allowed. Can you please email me at ahaughee@floridawriters.org describing the situation?