Osbourn Park High School Freshman Faadil Mohammed Takes Top Honor in Gaithersburg Book Festival Short Story Contest

Gaithersburg, Md. – May 20, 2017 – Faadil Mohammed, a freshman at Osbourn Park High School in Prince William County, Va., took first prize in the 2017 Gaithersburg Book Festival short story contest for high school students with his story, “Hell-th Insurance.”

Second prize went to Briar Woods High School (Loudoun County, Va.) freshman Emily Johnson, for her story, “Conviction.” For the first time, third prize was a tie between “Entwined” by Kaya Trippel, a freshman from Briar Woods High School, and “Spotless” by Shelby Bailey, a junior from Charles J. Colgan, Sr., High School in Prince William County, Va. Bailey’s story also was named the Fan Favorite.

First, second and third place winners received $100, $75 and $50 gift certificates, respectively, and the Fan Favorite, which was determined based on voting on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website, received a $25 gift certificate. Prizes were provided by the Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus.

The winners were announced today at the eighth annual Gaithersburg Book Festival.

The winning stories were selected by New York Times best-seller Kimberly McCreight. She is author of “The Outliers” and “Reconstructing Amelia,” which was nominated for Edgar, Anthony and Alex Awards and also has been optioned for film by HBO and Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films. She also wrote the USA Today best-seller “Where They Found Her.” McCreight appeared at the 2017 Festival to talk about her latest novel for young teens, “The Scattering,” which is the second book in The Outliers Trilogy.

“I was astounded by the talent, the skill in execution and the emotional depth,” said McCreight. “The stories ranged from the innovative, to the emotionally resonant, to the scary and the very, very funny. There were cheating boyfriends, and frustrated kings and hopeless prisoners. The stories were set everywhere from Pakistan, to a little girl’s bedroom to the side of an untamed mountain. All of which made it so very hard to pick winners.”

Contest finalists also included:

• Fernando Anduaga – Briar Woods High School, Loudoun County, Va.
• Elena Asofsky – Quince Orchard High School, Montgomery County, Md.
• Ally Gilliam – Briar Woods High School, Loudoun County, Va.
• Annaliese Holden – Briar Woods High School, Loudoun County, Va.
• Jacques Israel – Briar Woods High School, Loudoun County, Va.
• Naomi Kline – Osbourn Park High School, Prince William County, Va.
• Evan Miller – Briar Woods High School, Loudoun County, Va.

The finalists’ stories are available online on the contest page of the Gaithersburg Book Festival website.

About the Gaithersburg Book Festival

The Gaithersburg Book Festival is an annual all-day celebration of books, writers and literary excellence. Quickly becoming one of the premier literary events in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the 2018 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, on the grounds of Gaithersburg City Hall, in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Md. Activities will include author appearances, discussions and book signings; writing workshops; a Children’s Village; onsite sales of new and used books; literary exhibitors and food, drink, ice cream and more. FREE admission and shuttle will be available from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall. The Gaithersburg Book Festival also hosts author events in Montgomery County throughout the year as a way to encourage continued appreciation for all things literary. For more information please visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org or follow on Twitter @GburgBookFest.