Local writer wins Royal Palm Literary Award

Posted

Ponte Vedra resident Laura Holian recently won a Royal Palm Literary Award (RPLA) at the Florida Writers Association (FWA)’s four-day conference in Altamonte Springs. 

Holian’s winning entry, “Sick Day,” won first place for Published Creative NonFiction. The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in members’ published and unpublished works, while providing objective and constructive written assessments for all entrants. The annual FWA competition, which received 420 qualified submissions, was RPLA’s 17th. 

“This is the most competitive RPLA we’ve ever had,” RPLA Chairperson Chris Coward said. “The RPLA administrative team, judges and entrants did an amazing job.”

In all, the competition covered 26 adult genres and five youth genres, with published and unpublished entries considered separately.

“A win at any level can help any writer market their manuscript or published book, and the detailed feedback from the judges is invaluable for all entrants,” Coward said.

At 1,500 members strong and growing, the Florida Writers Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization that supports the state’s established and emerging writers. Membership is open to the public.

“We are fortunate to have the Florida Writers Association, which provides authors with many resources to assist us throughout our writing process,” Holian said.

For additional information, visit the FWA website at floridawriters.net. Visit https://www.facebook.com/lauraholianauthor for more details about Holian.