The different awards bestowed on recipients fall into one of three categories. ‘Honorable mentions’ are awarded to writers who stood out among the submissions enough to receive a commendation by the board of novelists, librarians, poets, teachers, editors, and journalists who choose the winners. ‘Silver Key’ is awarded to writers who exceed the criteria and distinguish themselves within their category, and the ‘Gold Key’ is presented to writers who display a mastery of prose enough to stand out as one of the top writers in their category. The final award, an American Voice Nominee is the highest award the panel offers to those who they believe were the strongest in their category. Writers who receive the gold key are immediately eligible to proceed to the next stage of the competition and be recognized at the national level of the Scholastic Writing Awards.
Esther Yi, a Junior in Humanities received the prestigious ‘Gold Key’ for her short story, The Last Day on Earth for Everybody.
The story focuses on a girl who embraced the end of the world, and as Yi said, “In a society where everyone is reacting differently to the news of impending doom, she found herself among those who chose to indulge in their desires and live without restraint.”
The main character travels to many different places such as the Washington Monument and the jewelry store Tiffany. She spends the last days of her life living it to the fullest. As the world drowns into chaos around her, she finds her way to liberation from her old life while accepting the current state of things.
When asked about what influenced this story, Esther highlighted how she had a deep fixation on how society would respond to the end of the world.
“I’ve often found myself pondering how individuals might react to such a profound revelation and how their actions might reflect their deepest desires and impulses. In crafting the narrative,” Yi said, “I wanted to explore the spectrum of human responses to impending doom, ranging from fear and desperation to liberation and recklessness. The story delves into the idea of embracing the present moment fully, unshackled by the constraints of societal norms or personal inhibitions. It reflects on the notion of living each day as if it were the last, seizing the opportunity to indulge in desires and experiences without restraint.”
