The Telling Room has named Center for Teaching and Learning sixth-grade student Adley Cawthon as the Lincoln County winner of its annual writing contest. Cawthon was awarded for her poem “My Interlaced Hands.”

The Telling Room, a Portland-based nonprofit that works with over 2,500 young writers in more than 100 communities across Maine, offers writing and publishing programs that empower young people to share their voices through the written word.

Its annual creative writing contest is judged by professional writers who select a winner from each of Maine’s sixteen counties. Judges of the contest look for writing an impactful message, creativity and originality, a structure that supports the clarity of its message, and a strong voice. The county honorees receive a $50 award and are published in the Telling Room’s spring anthology. This marks the third year in a row that the Lincoln County winner came from CTL.

Cawthon was recognized as part of a Zoom celebration on Feb. 10. The honorees were joined by friends, family, and teachers, including Cawthon’s writing teacher at CTL, Angela Lathem-Ballard. County winners read from their pieces, and the Telling Room editors shared a message of congratulations.