Wow.

WOW.

This contest was so much fun, y’all. I loved seeing these fantastic pitches roll in during the past week, and I loved them so much that I couldn’t pick just one winner. No, no.

I picked THREE.

The two runners-up get to pick the prize of their choice — either a query critique or a 1st chapter critique.

Huzzah!

The winner, of course, gets a 6-month mentorship with yours truly, including a query critique, a 1st 50 pages critique, and an open line of communication for questions and chat sessions about publishing, storycraft, and social media!

Double huzzah!

So now, without further ado (since you’re probably all like CLAIRE STOP TALKING WINNERS PRIZES NOW HURRY YES), here are the winners of the Calling All Teens! One-Sentence Pitch Contest in reverse order:

Second runner-up is DESERAE MCGLOTHEN

Title: PLANET WEIRD
Genre: Middle Grade Paranormal/Supernatural
My age: 17
Pitch: Alien Drew Vardaman runs away to Earth after hearing a prophecy about her destiny, but when a parasitic shadow starts possessing the students of Planet Jr. High, Drew has to learn to hone her powers in order to save her friends and change her own future.

Note: I LOVED this concept! I love the fact that the protagonist is an alien because that paves the way for a whole lot of entertaining “fish out of water” scenarios. Also, this pitch has all the necessary information — the main character, the conflict, and what the main character must do to emerge triumphant. Well done!

First runner-up is LYLA

Title: NOCTURNE
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Age: 17
Pitch: Seventeen-year-old Gabriel Durante has to team up with a fashionista and the Angel of Death in order to kill the demon he’s served for seven years.

Note: This pitch immediately caught my attention with “fashionista” and “demon.” I was also intrigued by the idea of the Angel of Death workin with Gabriel, rather than with the demon he serves. Also, this pitch is short, snappy, conveys all necessary information, and hints at humor within, which I can DEFINITELY appreciate!

And the winner of the Calling All Teens! One-Sentence Pitch Contest is…

Title: The Sins of our Hands
Genre: YA General Fiction
Age: 19
Pitch: Brothers Bram and Luke flee from their home after accidentally killing one of their friends, forcing them to escape to Canada by any means necessary, even going so far as joining a strange traveling circus group under the leadership of the dark hypnotist, Fiore, but when they discover that a madman, bent on revenge, is following close on their trail, their world begins to fall apart, and they soon discover that the situation surrounding the killing of their friend was not as simple as they once thought.

Note: Even though this pitch was really kind of long, the unique concept immediately grabbed me — ESPECIALLY the circus/hypnotist angle — and the complexity of the pitch itself hints at complexity in the book, which is a huge plus. Also, although this hints at the supernatural (what with the creepy circus and all), it also seems like it could lean toward the literary. In short: I’M SOLD. Plus, again, the pitch contains all the necessary information regarding the main conflict. Win all around!

Again, thank you to ALL participants! If you would like my thoughts on your pitch, please email me at clairelegrandbooks [at] gmail [dot] com, and I’ll be happy to give you some feedback. Whatever you do, I encourage you to keep writing up a storm!

Winners, please also email me at the above address so I can give you information about your prizes!

Aaaand a special shoutout to @AuthoressAnon and Maggie at @WriteOnTeens for helping promote this contest!

Happy writing, everyone!