Winners announced in Spokesman-Review’s 2024 High School Outdoor Writing Contest

An essay by Ava Mounts about her experience climbing Japan’s Mount Fuji has been named the winner of The Spokesman-Review’s 2024 High School Outdoor Writing Contest.

Mounts, a senior at Freeman High School, climbed Japan’s tallest peak last summer and told the story in clear and vivid prose in her piece, entitled “Uphill in a Downpour.”

Two runners-up were also named: Riley Yates, a junior at University High School, for his essay “Crystal Stars,” and Charlotte Godinez, a sophomore at Lakeside High School, for her poem “Running Song.”

More than 20 students from around the region entered this year’s contest.