The Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference Foundations contest finalists and winners were presented certificates during the awards ceremony held on the last night of the 2025 Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. Contest Director, Eva Marie Everson, on behalf of Conference Director & Co-Director Edie Melson and Edwina Perkins respectively, called the following names and titles from the stage of the Spilman Auditorium:

Articles
Third Place: “Never Forget—It’s Not About You” by Suzanne Montgomery
Second Place: “Words of Sympathy-Beyond Cliches” by Raewyn Elsegood
First Place: “Deadly Darkness” by Sandra Hastings

Blogs
Third Place: “ThriftSchooling.com” by Heather Vogler
Second Place: “JaneHGreen.com: Set Apart Storytelling” by Jane H. Green
First Place: “RenManning.com: Let’s Walk” by Ren Manning

Essays
Third Place: “Better Than a Bouquet” by Tricia Bonnema
Second Place: “The Gift of Friendship” by Heather Vogler
First Place: “She Locked the Door and Waited to Die” by Courtney Dailey

Devotions
Third Place: “Peace in the Night” by Ruth Kennedy
Second Place: “God’s Fellow Worker” by Ruth Kennedy
First Place: “Probability of Lights” by Joan McPheron

Nonfiction Books
Third Place: “He Still Speaks” by Linda Greene
Second Place: “A Morning Walk” by Ren Manning
First Place: “God Stories” by Courtney Dailey

Bible Studies
Second Place: “Armor Up” by Patty Nicholas-Boyte
First Place: “The Divine Invasion: Mark’s Story of Jesus” by Fred von Kamecke

Poetry
Third Place: “His Fragrant Brushstrokes” by Mary L. Seabrook
Second Place: “Succulent” by Melissa Robertson
First Place: “Among the Shells” by Richard Parker III

Children’s Picture Books
Third Place: “Mystery of the Fairy Grademother” by Theresa Parker Pierce
Second Place: “Take the Cake” by Whit Jordan
First Place: “Go Be a Kid” by Ren Manning

Children’s Chapter Books/ Middle Grade Books
Third Place: “Dmitry Goes Undercover” by Joan McPheron
Second Place: “The Locked Kennel Mystery” by Hannah Phillips
First Place: “The Thief’s Throne” by Nicole Monroe

Flash Fiction
Third Place: “The Princess” by Jane H. Green
Second Place: “Love at First Taco” by Whit Jordan
First Place: “Ashes to Light” by Meghan Wilson

Short Stories (Tie for Second)
Second Place: “A Second Shot” by Chris G. Thelen
Second Place: “The Christmas Fiasco” by Carrie Hachadurian
First Place: “Of Doors and Tremors” by Jennifer Carta

Y A Fiction
Third Place: “Adrift” by Mark Wainwright
Second Place: “The Healer Prince” by Kimberly Conelius
First Place: “Fire on the Mountain” by Lindsay Lark

Contemporary Women/ Romance Fiction
Third Place: “Grace Like Rain” by Donna Yarborough
Second Place: “A Beautiful Death” by Carolyn Bourke
First Place: “Storm Waters Rising” by Suzanne Montgomery

Novels: Historical/Biblical
Third Place: “Isobel’s Song” by Daryl Lott
Second Place: “A Story of Grace, Book One” by Jane Vaughan
First Place: “Jephthah: A Renegade’s Redemption” by Sam Wright

Novels: Mystery/Suspense Fiction
Third Place: “Plundering Picasso” by Steve Newcomb
Second Place: “Living in Fear on Hope Mountain” by Sandy Day
First Place: “Man in the Lake” by Cindy Carraway Williams

Novels: Romantic Suspense Fiction
Second Place: “Green Mountain Rescue” by Patty Nicholas-Boyte
First Place: “The Bodyguard” by Kimberly Stacy Skaggs

Novels: Speculative Fiction (Tie for Second)
Third Place: “Ruins of Rahab” by Mark Harrell
Second Place: “Fruit of the Poisonous Tree” by Adam King
Second Place: “Vicar Shrimpton’s Ghost” by Helen Liptak
First Place: “The Lost Voice” by Jil Koller

Congratulations to everyone who submitted their work and to the finalists and winners.