Four Cherokee County Students Head to State in 2026 Young Georgia Authors Competition

Four Cherokee County School District students are headed to the state level of the 2026 Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition after each claimed a regional first-place finish in their respective grade categories. The annual contest, open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, is one of Georgia's longest-running literacy showcases, and this year, Cherokee County is sending representatives from elementary school all the way through senior year.

The regional winners advancing to state are Amogha Praveen of Hickory Flat Elementary School, who won the third-grade category with "I Am Vietnam Veterans Memorial"; Isabella Byess of Clayton Elementary School, who took first in fifth grade with "Feliciano's Insane Human-Animal Chaos House!"; Lorelai Clark of Freedom Middle School, who won the seventh-grade category with "How it is Now"; and Jake Davis of Woodstock High School, who claimed the 12th-grade title with "Lighthouse Kept."

The titles alone hint at the range of voices on display. A third-grader channeling a national war memorial. A fifth-grader conjuring what sounds like glorious chaos. A middle schooler reckoning with the present. A high school senior drawn to something quieter and more solitary. That four students from across the grade spectrum, and from four different schools, all reached the regional podium in the same year speaks to the depth of writing instruction across the district.

Young Georgia Authors is coordinated through the Georgia Department of Education and accepts entries in multiple genres, including narrative, informational and persuasive writing. The path to state is genuinely competitive: students first survive a district-level round, with winners advancing to the regional competition. Only regional first-place finishers move on to the state contest, making each of these four wins a two-round achievement.

Three additional CCSD students earned regional honorable mention recognition. Piper Fleming of Macedonia Elementary School was honored in second grade for "Axolotls"; Daphne Campbell of Creekland Middle School received honorable mention in sixth grade for "The Tree That Wouldn't Burn"; and Monica Ramirez of River Ridge High School was recognized in the 11th-grade category for "I Am." That seven students across the district earned regional recognition in a single year, spanning second grade through 12th, suggests this was a strong showing for Cherokee County across the board.

For local families, the results are worth paying attention to beyond the congratulations. Writing competitions like Young Georgia Authors give student work a real audience and real stakes, which classroom assignments alone rarely replicate. The fact that this year's honorees are spread across elementary, middle and high school campuses, several of them serving the Woodstock area, means there's a good chance one of these young writers lives in your neighborhood. Their work will now be read and judged at the state level, representing Cherokee County among the best young writers in Georgia.