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Bad sushi and a surrogate family helped writer win Big Scribble contest

Six weeks ago, Zeke Warren-Weigmann was one of 409 aspiring young writers intrigued by a pop-up writing contest hastily imagined as a quarantine diversion by a couple of veteran journalists. Today, he is the Big Scribble champion, fulfilling five writing prompts with essays about haircuts, bad sushi and the embrace of a family not his own.

Warren-Weigmann is a junior at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. In a podcast with author and former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman, one of the two creators of the contest, Warren-Weigmann credited his father, Random House editor and former Esquire editor Mark Warren, with helping develop his writing skills.

In the podcast, Two Writers Slinging Yang, Warren-Weigmann told Pearlman that he entered the contest to hone his skills and get a professional critique of his writing. “And then something to pass the time over quarantine, really, because I had classes, but at this point classes are just so incredibly dull.”

As the winner, he will receive a $200 gift certificate to the independent bookstore of this choice, a letter of recommendation from the judges, and one-on-one consultations chosen from a long list of journalists and writers across the country. 

Runners up were Kaia Hubbard of the University of San Diego and Joe Levin of the University of Texas. They will receive a $100 gift certificate and consultations with writers. The top 10 finalists receive a letter of recommendation and a consultation.

In announcing the results of the contest, Pearlman applauded all the competitors. “We need you more than ever,” he said. “We need your effort. We need your truth. We need your writing. We need your passion more than ever. So please keep bringing it.”

Read his Big Scribble submissions here.