The winners of the 12th Annual Ventura County Writers Club Short Story Contest have been announced. Each will be reading their winning entry at the January 10 meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club (VCWC), which will include a celebration reception following the presentation of awards and the readings. There were over 100 entries in the contest, many from around the country.

The winners are:

First Place: Bill Stermer of Camarillo, CA for The Last Speed Run
Second Place: Roni Hooper of Camarillo, CA for Holding Onto Hawaii
Third Place: Sheli Ellsworth of Thousand Oaks, CA for Lynchburg Correctional, 1845

Honorable Mention: Carol Fogel of Thousand Oaks, CA
Honorable Mention: Frank Leupp of Camarillo, CA
Honorable Mention: Jan Schulman of Oxnard, CA

The first place winning entry will be published in this Sunday's edition of the Ventura County Star and the first, second and third place winning entries will be published in the online edition of the paper. Three editors at the newspaper acted as the final judges, selecting the three cash winners and three honorable mentions.

"We welcome the public to celebrate our local winners," said Kate Sexton, President of VCWC. "Each year the crowd grows as the community comes out to congratulate our winners and listen to their winning short stories. The club appreciates the continued support of The Ventura County Star, for judging the finalists and publishing the winning story."

The meetings take place at the Pleasant Valley Senior Center, 1605 Burnley St, Camarillo, CA. Festivities will begin at 7 PM, Tuesday, January 10th. Club members, friends of the winners and the public are welcome. All VCWC meetings are free to attend.