Sarah-Catherine RPLA Gold Winner!

Congratulations to Sarah-Catherine Jackson, SPARK graduate, for receiving the Gold Award in the Unpublished Short Nonfiction, ages 12-15, category at the Royal Palm Literary Awards on Saturday for her entry, “The Republic by Plato: The Class System and Education in the Ideal City-State.”

Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA)

Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA) is a prestigious writing competition that recognizes extraordinary writing in 27+ genre categories for adults and and provides objective and constructive written assessments to all entrants.

"I’ve signed with Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary!!! Home of Gone Girl, y’all! This contest was a life changer.” —Melissa Abrehamsen

• Published and unpublished works; fiction and nonfiction; short works and book-length; and poetry are welcome

• Fee varies based on genre category and date of entry

• Open to Florida Writers Association members only

• Submission period: February 1–April 30

“The knowledge and the thoughtfulness of all the judges blew me away.” —Margarita McCarthy

New this year:

• You'll upload your submission materials as part of the entry form process.

• Entries will be run through plagiarism software.

• The Play category is suspended, pending judge recruitment.

• Limits on the number of entries. 5 entries per person; 500 total—so entries can continue to receive the attention they deserve.

Winners are celebrated at Royal Palm Literary Awards Banquet at our annual conference in October. Check out past RPLA winners here and in our Showcase.