Olivia Bussell, of Lexington, and Autumn Simpson, of West Columbia, are winners in the first annual Govie Writing Awards, held by the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. They will both receive a $300 gift certificate to their local independent bookstore.

Bussell, a rising 8th grade student at Pleasant Hill Middle School, won the middle school division’s George Singleton Prize in Fiction for “Limitless.” Per the judge’s notes, her work was chosen “because of its strong voice, the dialogue, and the pacing.” Bussell is passionate about writing because she enjoys creating and developing characters and unique settings. She is a voracious reader and her favorite authors are Rick Riordan and James Riley.

Simpson, a rising senior at White Knoll High School, won the high school division’s George Singleton Prize in Fiction for her short story “The Author.” Simpson has been writing stories, poems, and songs since she was young and is currently working on her first novel. She also participates in the school Improv Troupe, co-founded a student prayer club, and will be the Commanding Officer of White Knoll’s Navy JROTC unit in the fall. In her spare time, she loves to sing and play the guitar.

The Govie Writing Awards is a new, statewide contest for South Carolina students in grades 6-12. Sponsored by the Governor’s School’s Creative Writing Department, the awards—the George Singleton Prize in Fiction and the Jan Bailey Prize in Poetry—are named for the department’s founding faculty members who are also the contest judges.

“Our judges were pleased not only with the quantity of entries this year, but with the high quality as well,” said Scott Gould, Creative Writing chair. “There are so many good, young writers across our state, and we’re just happy to give them a new platform to showcase their talents.”

For more information about these winners and to read their work, visit www.scgsah.org/writingawards .