A middle school student from Buckley and high school student from Lake Tapps took home awards for short stories entered into a Pierce County Libraries contest.

Hailey Holm of Buckley earned third place in the Grades 7-8 division of the Our Own Expressions short story contest. Erin Haas of Lake Tapps earned second placed in the Grades 11-12 division of the short story contest.

Judges for the teen-oriented Our Own Expressions writing and visual art contest reviewed nearly 1,000 entries to come up with 36 top three winners in the various grade divisions of the poetry, short story, photography and drawing competitions.

Poet Kristin McHenry and author Liz Gallagher selected this year’s writing winners, evaluating originality, style, general presentation, grammar, spelling and evidence of skill appropriate to the writer’s age.

“Students dazzle us each year with their amazing writing and art,” library executive director Neel Parikh said in a press release. “It is a joy and an honor to encourage these promising teenagers to share their talents and continue their creative efforts.”

Pacific Lutheran University will showcase the winning authors’ and artists’ work at Lagerquist Concert Hall on May 30, at 7 p.m. The Pierce County Library Foundation will award the winners with cash prizes.