Spectrum

Winner: Short Story (Chaos and World of Champions, and Untitled Awards). The social, emotional, and racial tensions of several characters interweave in this collection of connected short stories that take place over one year in a suburban high school: an over-achiever hits her breaking point; a top athlete comes out to his religious mother; a mean girl whose own secret is worse than any of the rumours she's spread ends up on the ledge of a bridge; a surfer-type pretty boy gets called out for his toxic masculinity; a happy-go-lucky musician turned addict runs from his intervention; the school bully meets his match; a Syrian immigrant picks up the pieces after fleeing war; the good guy who can't catch a break finally wins; and a freshman with Autism is possibly the only one of them who has the whole teen life thing all figured out.