California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom has announced the winners of its 2025-26 “Imagine this…” Story Writing Contest, which promotes agricultural literacy and creative writing by inviting students to write stories inspired by California agriculture. Winning stories are illustrated by selected high school art students and published in an annual book.
The book will debut April 21, when student authors are honored during an awards ceremony at the California Department of Food and Agriculture headquarters in Sacramento, CA. The ceremony, held in conjunction with California Ag Day at the Capitol, will mark the first time student authors meet the student artists and see the illustrations created for their stories.
State winners were selected from entries submitted by third- through eighth-grade students from across California. Clark Shannon, of Visalia, the third-grade winner, attends Central Valley Christian School in Tulare County and wrote “Farmers Are Out of This World.” Fourth-grade honors went to Julia Samulski, of Modesto, of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Stanislaus County for “Annie and the Strawberry Dilemma.”
The fifth-grade winner is Penny Deboer, of Fort Jones, of Turlock Eagles 4-H in Stanislaus County for “The New Queen.” Also representing Turlock Eagles 4-H, sixth-grade winner Porter Machado, of Turlock, earned recognition for “Hydro the Water Hero.”
Seventh-grade winner Amelia Cobar, of Bakersfield, attends Legacy Christian Academy in Kern County and wrote “The Wish of Friendship.” The eighth-grade winner is Luz Jimenez-Cruz, of El Nido, of El Nido Elementary School in Merced County for “Bees and Almonds.”
An honorable mention was awarded to Rebecca Gonzalez, of Modesto, of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Stanislaus County for “The Place.”
Educators and youth leaders whose students were selected as state winners include Mikayla Tavarez, Jenna Budicini, Sheila Amaral, Sylvia Collins, Jessica Beckman and Amanda Harvey.
Regional winners were also selected from across the state.
Region 1 winners include Talon Lohse and Clayton Corp of Plaza Elementary School in Glenn County; Sheldon Denight of Scott Valley Options School in Siskiyou County; Kenneth Lohse and Karli Wood of Walden Academy in Glenn County; Alexia Mojica-Palafox, Andres Mojica-Palafox and Addy Knight of Flournoy Elementary School in Tehama County; and Aura Diaz of Klamath River Union Elementary School in Siskiyou County.
Region 2 winners include Lillian Miro of Gratton Elementary School in Stanislaus County; Ikaia Gorman and Vern Albertson of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Stanislaus County; Madison Bailey and Bethany Macedo of Turlock Eagles 4-H in Stanislaus County; Emma Mast and Morgan Rock of Gratton Elementary School in Stanislaus County; and Sofia Chen of Sacred Heart School in Stanislaus County.
Region 3 winners include Harper Jordan and Jack Cannon of Our Lady of Miracles Catholic School in Merced County; Camila Morales of Ronald Reagan Elementary School in Madera County; Mary Motte of Mountain Home Charter School in Madera County; Violet De Anda of Sun Empire Elementary School in Fresno County; Marshall Taylor of Forest Grove Elementary School in Monterey County; Kayla Esquivez of Our Lady of Miracles Catholic School in Merced County; Charlotte Peterson of Gratton School in Merced County; and Julie Gosling of Legacy Christian Academy in Kern County.
Region 4 winners include Rowan Etling and Daniella Carucci of Los Olivos Elementary School in Santa Barbara County; Carolyn Rose Maiden McVay and Mai Hagiwara of Woodlands Elementary School in Los Angeles County; Henry Merlo, Alyssa Homingyin, Sophia Chacón, David Rahmanian and Elise Reddersdorf of Holy Redeemer-St. James School in Los Angeles County; and Thomas Hannan and Joshua Abundis of Sandburg Middle School in Los Angeles County.
The “Imagine this…” Story Writing Contest is open to all California students in grades three through eight and is sponsored by the Simplot Co. The contest aligns with Common Core State Education Standards for narrative and informative writing, encouraging students to develop real or imagined events based on accurate information about California agriculture. The 2026-27 contest will open in the fall.
More information is available at learnaboutag.org/imaginethis. The book, “Imagine this… Stories Inspired by Agriculture 2026,” will be available for purchase following the April 21 debut. — California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
