"I often tell writers that I don’t care if their main character is nice, but I do want the character to be interesting. That’s exactly what we get in 'Quaddlebons and Hearts,' where our 'hero' isn’t very heroic at all. Unlike many stories, this short story is less about the change in the character, and more about the change in us—how our opinion and perspective shifts as the main character’s selfish nature is revealed. This student took a real risk with writing something so different—and it paid off wonderfully. Well done."

—Varian Johnson

Read Michelle's winning entry here!