Announcing SCC's Annual Vortex Creative Writing and Art Competition!
We are currently accepting submissions for SCC’s award-winning Vortex Literary and Art Journal. For rules and submission guidelines, please visit the Vortex Submission Website.
- Submission Deadlines:
- Art: TBD
- Writing and Music: TBD
- Native Voices and Visions: TBD
Every Spring Semester, SCC's creative students can submit their writing, artwork, and music for possible inclusion in our award-winning, student-designed, and produced Vortex Literary and Art Journal. Any student enrolled in a minimum of one credit hour during the academic year is eligible to submit Poetry, Creative Nonfiction (Essay), Short Story, Script (Play or Screenplay), Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Photography, Illustration, Graphic Design, or Music Composition. All selected winners will receive a stipend, publication credit, copies of the 2027 Vortex Literary and Art Journal, and an invitation to attend the 2027 Vortex Celebration and Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2027. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Native Voice & Visions Category
Applicants who are registered tribal members are encouraged to submit their artwork and writing to the Native Voices and Visions contest category for special recognition of their artistic and cultural contributions to our community. For additional information, please contact [email protected].
National League of American PEN Women Award
Every year, the Scottsdale Chapter of the National League of American PEN Women graciously awards one of our First-Place student winners a $500 prize. This vital and vibrant organization holds dear its mission "to encourage, recognize, and promote the production of creative work of professional standard in art, letters, and music." The 2026 NLAPW winner will be selected from the Music category.
Congratulations to all of our 2026 Vortex Literary and Art Journal winners!
First Place – "Smooth Espresso in Sicily" by Christine Loschiavo
Second Place – "Koi of Two Worlds" by Megan Yancy
Third Place – "The Spiral" by Barbara Goldberg
Honorable Mention – "Underwater" by Junko Kinoshita
Honorable Mention – "Viewing Red Mountain, Early Morning" by Matthew Goodwin
First Place – "At the Intersection of Your Memory" by Leah Arambula Terry
Second Place – "Zeroed In" by Korinne Danielle Agbayani
Third Place – "No Bodies, No Crimes" by Scott Sutton
Honorable Mention – "Mirrored Canyon" by Lance Meadows
Honorable Mention – "After the Rain" by Lynne Senzek
First Place – "Skater Boy" by Jason Weeber
Second Place – "Antelope illuminated" by Lance Meadows
Third Place – "Thorns Have Roses" by Louis Campanelli
First Place – "Own the Ritual" by Emanuel White II
Second Place – "DTTG" by Selah Delay
Third Place – "Kinfolk" by Angela Wong
Honorable Mention – "Where's Buddy? 2026 Memorial Calendar" by Dawn Kravagna
First Place – "Birds" by Jenny Baio
Second Place – "Destinations of the World" by Malayna Holloway
Third Place – "Martyress of the Moors" by Ellie Meylor
Honorable Mention - "The Flower" by Nicholas Traina
First Place – "Soar: A Child's Imagination Knows No Limits" by Isaac Facio
Second Place – "Nothing There" by David Caldera
First Place – "Estrella Fugaz" by Sonja Randall
Second Place – "Salted" by Valeria Estrada Vignola
Third Place – "AIRPORTS" by Simone Bedi
Honorable Mention – "Select One" by Akira Martin
First Place – "Stardust" by Eddie De Niz
Second Place – "A Painted Goodbye" by Lauren Jones
Third Place – "Invisible Man" by Sierra Ramos
Honorable Mention – "Fentanyl" by Amanda Semma
Honorable Mention – "Litchfield or My Son" by Mary Sholtis
First Place – "Crossroad Puzzles" by Willow Lewis
Second Place – "Windows" by Rowen Conde-Unangst
Third Place – "The Walk Home" by Kolby Graymountain
First Place – "Dream of Living in Costa Rica" by Tutsie Silapalikitporn
Second Place – "Aliens" by Amanda Semma
Third Place – "The Echo Room" by Simone Bedi
Honorable Mention – "Falling" by Aranya Altair
First Place – "Clay That Remembers" by Aranya Altair
Second Place – "Indigenous Woman" by Del Gonzales
Third Place – "Back Off" by Del Gonzales
Third Place – "Cholla" by Del Gonzales
First Place – "Adiós Ozzy" (Dedicado a Ozzy Osbourne) by Richard Caselli
First Place – "Calaverita a la Cantante" by Voula Popovich
Second Place – "Mi Perro, Lee" by Leslie Hasty
Congratulations CCHA Literary Contest Winners
SCC’s 2025 Vortex Literary and Art Journal took Second Place in the Southwestern Region in the Community College Humanities Associations' Best Literary Magazine competition! Five of our students also received individual awards in the "Best of" categories for the Southwestern Region.