Theodore Van Alst Jr. and Shane Hawk Announce TCJ Student Writing Winners

TCJ Student’s guest editors, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians) and Shane Hawk (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), editors of the acclaimed anthology Never Whistle at Night, have announced the winners of the 2026 TCJ Student creative writing contest. “We’ve been honored to guest edit this special issue of TCJ Student and can’t wait to see these wonderful words out in the world!” say Van Alst Jr. and Hawk. “We’re grateful for the writers whose work made this issue possible.”

The top fiction entries are: “The Hunter” by Dacotah Hasvold of Haskell Indian Nations University, “On the Highway” by Sigue Sueños of San Carlos Apache College, and “What Are Indianettes?” by Daniela Mora Aki of Sitting Bull College.

The top nonfiction entries are: “In the Company of Scholars” by Markus Altaha of San Carlos Apache College, “The Great Wonderer” by Ky Butcher of White Earth Tribal and Community College, and “The Hunger and the Fire” by Jalen Skye Smallcanyon of Diné College.

The top entries in poetry are: “My Roots” by Pte San Win Little Whiteman of Oglala Lakota College, “wíŋyaŋ” by Laura Ten Fingers of the Institute of American Indian Arts, and “Dancing with Nookomis” by Matthew Bowstring of White Earth Tribal and Community College.

TCJ Student also recognizes students who earned honorable mention. They include: “Chess” by Tina Laney of San Carlos Apache College, “Grandma’s Testament” by Jorah Thompson of Navajo Technical University, “Chasing a Vein” by Tina Laney of San Carlos Apache College, and “Little Spirits Falling from the Sky” by Madison Weingust of Bay Mills Community College.

“Once again, we had a big turnout this year with lots of great writing. We’re looking forward to showcasing the winning entries in the 2026 edition of TCJ Student,” says Bradley Shreve, TCJ’s editor. “A special shout out to Bay Mills Community College, Diné College, Fort Peck Community College, the Institute of American Indian Arts, Navajo Technical University, and Tohono O’odham Community College for sponsoring this year’s contest!”

The deadline for submissions to the art and film contest is March 20^th. For contest guidelines and more information, visit: https://tcjstudent.org/contest/.