The Loft Literary Center is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 McKnight Fellowships for Writers, Loft Awards in Creative Prose and Loft Award in Children’s Literature (Older Children). The fellowships are judged by prominent American authors and editors, and the winners, all from Minnesota, are awarded $25,000 each. The judges this year were Valeria Luiselli in creative prose and Christine Day in children’s literature. 

The Loft received 38 qualified applications in children’s literature and 86 qualified applications in creative prose. This year’s recipients are children’s writer Ty Chapman (Minneapolis) and creative prose writers Jessica Roeder (Duluth), Tracy Ross (Mankato), Kathryn Savage (Minneapolis), and Sun Yung Shin (Minneapolis).

The honorable mentions in children’s literature are Alison McGhee (Minneapolis), Cristina Oxtra (Savage), Vanessa Ramos (Woodbury), and Jackie Lea Sommers (Minneapolis). The honorable mentions in creative prose are Carolyn Holbrook (Saint Paul), Thomas Kevin O’Rourke (Minneapolis), Chris Stedman (Minneapolis), and Natalie Vestin (Saint Paul).