Knox College students continue their dominance of the top awards in the annual Nick Adams Short Story Competition.

Two Knox students -- Kate Barrett of Centennial, Colorado; and Julia Ohman of Portland, Oregon -- were named finalists in the 2012 competition, which features short fiction by students from 14 selective liberal arts colleges in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado. Since the competition began in 1973, Knox has more first place and finalist awards than any of the other colleges in contest, sponsored by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest.

Four other 2012 finalists were named from Beloit College, Lawrence University, Macalester College and Grinnell College, with Grinnell student Clare Boerigter selected from among the finalists as the first place winner.

The 2012 competition drew 40 short stories by students from ACM colleges. A faculty panel from ACM colleges chose the six finalists, and the first place winner was chosen from among the finalists by Gina Frangello, a Chicago-based novelist, professor and editor.

In addition to Knox's finalists -- "Fishes and Loaves" by Barrett and "When the Leaving is Done" by Ohman -- two other stories by Knox students were among the 40 entries in the initial contest pool -- "Water on Water, or the Rain on the Ground" by Dave Brankin of Chicago and "Empties" by Christopher Poore of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Knox's entries were selected by a panel of Knox College faculty, which also recognized two Knox semifinalists: "Lineaments," by Christopher Bakka of Wimberly, Texas; and "Burial," by Erik Hane of Littleton, Colorado.

The Knox faculty panel also selected five Knox Honorable Mentions: "Strawman," by Samantha Butler of Houston, Texas; "Identity," by Linda Kim of Glenview, Illinois; "Something to Do With," by Maisie Maupin of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; "How to Give Good Head," by Michelle Steffens of Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Rainbow," by Isabella Odin of Woodbury, Minnesota; and "Feeding Time," by Saska Pellnat, of Somerset, New Jersey.