Coachella Valley Repertory announced its winners of its 2020 Inaugural Student Writing Competition on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 3:30 pm Pacific. Media, guests, family and friends were invited to join this Zoom event for the announcement.

Middle and High School students competed for cash prizes during the Inaugural Writing Competition. Participants were tasked with submitting a monologue, short story, scene or other creative writing piece. From May 15 until July 30, 2020, entries were accepted. Forty students took part in the competition.

Writing submissions were judged by Georgeana Mimms, a distinguished member of the CVRep Conservatory faculty, author Hal Gershowitz Remember This Dream, Heirs of Eden), and  journalist Bruce Fessier (former 40 year veteran with The Desert Sun).

Students in public, a private or home school setting were eligible and were categorized by their age.

Category 1 – Ages 11 and 12

Category 2 – Ages 13 to 15

Category 3 – Ages 16 to 18

During the virtual Awards Ceremony, plaques and cash prizes will be awarded to three winners in each category as follows:

1st Place: $500

2nd Place: $250

3rd Place: $100

Winning entries and other notable submissions were invited to read or perform their submissions virtually at the Awards Ceremony.

This contest was envisioned and sponsored by Executive Board Member Peggy Jacobs. It was designed to inspire the Valley’s future authors and playwrights to submit their creative best. CVRep sincerely thanks Ms. Jacobs for her generosity of spirit by creating the concept and donating the prize money. Anyone interested in joining the awards ceremony, can register for the Zoom webinar at www.cvrep.org.

And the Winners are:

Category 1:

1st – Holly Trubee

2nd – Cidni Hordista

3rd – Addison Jackson

Category 2:

1st – Kira Entzminger

2nd – Cynthia Ruiz

3rd – Tilda Rector

Category 3:

1st – Kimberly Solano Vera

2nd – Aivy To

3rd – Lizbeth Luevano

Coachella Valley Repertory (CVRep) is an equity theater company, designated a Small Professional Theatre under the Actors’ Equity Association. CVRep is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide thought provoking theatre of substance.