Awards and Honors

2021

July 2021, "To Mute or Not to Mute," Finalist, Chattanooga Annual Writing Contest, non-Fiction

2012

October 2012, "Let There Be Light," Third Place Winner, Knoxville Writers' Guild Contests--Playwriting

2011

October 7, 2011, Named Distinguished Alumni, New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, New Mexico

July 2011, "Muddying up the Gene Pool," Honorable Mention in Nonfiction Category, Alabama Writers Conclave, Huntsville, AL

April 2011 Let There Be Light, ten-minute play, finalist in Dezart Performs Play Reading Series, Palm Springs, CA

2010

Judy's collection of humor essays, Memories of a Loose Woman, was selected for the 2010 Southern Festival of Books, Nashville, TN.

January 2010, Life Among the Lilliputians named Book of the Month by B97.5 (WJXB-FM), Knoxville (TN) Radio.

2009

Judy's collection of humor essays, Life Among the Lilliputians, was selected for the 2009 Southern Festival of Books, Nashville, TN.

Second place winner in Open Class, Storytelling Knoxville Competition, Dogwood Arts Festival. April 4, 2009

2008

Second place for Best Light Verse, "Out of Style," ByLine Magazine, February, 2008

2007

Voted Best Local Writer by readers of the The Oak Ridge Observer, September, 2007

Second Prize, Short Article Contest, "Almost Rich and Famous," ByLine Magazine, May, 2007

2006

1st Honorable Mention, Humorous Poetry, "Who Rules?" Green River Writing Contest, Louisville, Kentucky, December, 2006

Special Honorable Mention, "Who Rules," Humorous Poem Contest, ByLine Magazine, September, 2006.

Nominated by the Tennessee Arts Commission for inclusion in 2006 SouthernArtistry.com, an adjudicated online artist registry designed to spotlight outstanding artists of all disciplines that live and work in the South.

Special Honorable Mention, "Not Egg-zactly as Planned," Personal Experience Article, ByLine Magazine, February, 2006

2005

Second place, "First Class," Humorous Poem Contest, ByLine Magazine, September, 2005.

First place, nonfiction essay, "Not Egg-zactly as Planned," Tennessee Mountain Writers' Conference, Oak Ridge, TN, April, 2005.

2004

Honorable Mention for "Not Egg-zactly as Planned," Short Humor Contest, ByLine Magazine, July 2004

Named Artist of the Week by the Tennessee Arts Commission, July 5, 2004

Honorable Mention for humorous essay, "Accessoritus loosus," Tennessee Mountain Writers Contest, April 2004

2003

Scholarship winner and featured reader for “Conversations with My Spouse (one-act play),” Lost State Writers’ Conference, Greeneville, TN, October 2003

First Place Essay Winner for humorous essay, “Accessoritus loosus,” Virginia Highlands Festival Creative Writing Contest, July 26, 2003

Honorable Mention for “Aim High, Submit Low,” Advice for Beginning Writers Contest, ByLine Magazine, January 2003

2002

Honorable Mention for “Funny Bone,” Humorous Poem Contest, ByLine Magazine, September 2002

Scholarship winner for humorous essay, “Accessoritus Loosus,” Lost State Writers’ Conference,Greeneville, TN, October 2002

2001

YWCA Woman of Distinction, Arts and Culture Category, Oak Ridge, TN, August 2001

Special Honorable Mention, “New Location,” Humorous Poem Contest, ByLine Magazine, September 2001

Third Place, Song Writing Category, “Gently Love Me Now, Gently,” Cookeville, TN, Creative Writers’ Contest, May 2001

2000

Noteworthy Mention, Nonfiction Category, “Un di felice,” Creative Writers' Contest, Cookeville, TN, May 2000

1999

Noteworthy Mention (Humor), "Accessoritus loosus,” Creative Writers' Contest, Cookeville, TN, May 1999

1st Honorable Mention, Song Writing Category, "If Only You Knew Me,” Creative Writers' Contest, Cookeville, TN, May 1999

1998

Honorable Mention, Humorous Poem Category, "In Touch,” ByLine Magazine, September 1998