Each year at UNT’s Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, a winner is picked from all the submitted manuscripts and given both a cash award ($3000) and a book contract. This year’s author getting what may be a big break is Phil Scearce, whose Finish Forty and Home follows the relatively untold story of the 11th Bombardment Group in the South Pacific during the early years of World War II. Herman Scearce, the author’s father, lied about his age to join the Army Air Corps at 16 — and became a sergeant in the B-24 crew (left).

Other awards were given to personal essay and researched essay. The full release follows.

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference awards

$15,000 in cash prizes and a book contract with UNT Press

DENTON (UNT), Texas – In the manuscript “Finish Forty and Home,” Phil Scearce relates the true story of the men and missions of the 11^th Bombardment Group as it fought alone and unheralded in the South Central Pacific during the early years of World War II.

This past Saturday night at the University of North Texas’ Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, Scearce was awarded $3,000 and a book contract with the UNT Press for his manuscript, which was inspired by the stories that his father Sgt. Herman Scearce told him about the perilous Pacific missions.

The Mayborn also recognized 12 other individuals for their exceptional literary nonfiction pieces. A complete list of Mayborn Conference winners follows.

Manuscript contest winners are:

• First Place, $3,000 – Phil Scearce, “Finish Forty and Home”
• Second Place – Robert Cargill, “See You Later, Deviator”
• Second Place – Anita Snow, “Elian”

Personal essay contest winners are:

• First place, $3,000 – Kathy Whitman, “Hawk’s Shadow”
• Second place, $2,000 – Sallie Moffitt, “Waterwheels”
• Third place, $1,000 – Lauren Wolf, “In His Dreams”

Research and reporting-based essay winners are:

• First Place, $3,000 – Michael Mooney, “The Man Who Wasn’t There”
• Second Place, $2,000 – Thomas DeTitta, “The South Georgia Renaissance and the Rise and Fall of America’s Best Ex-President”
• Third Place, $1,000 – Audrie Palmer, “The Brutal Death of Miss Ann”

The 10 best articles and essays will be printed in “Ten Spurs,” the conference’s literary journal. These 10 essays include the six winners of the personal essay and the reporting-based essay categories, along with four others:

• Pamela Skjolsvik, “Surrender”
• Charlie Lewis, “Apartment No. 9”
• Evan Moore, “Redemption at the Rockhound Museum”
• Michael Brick, “The Distributor”

For more information on any of the 2010 Mayborn winners contact George Getschow, the conference’s writer-in-residence at [email protected] or 940-565-4564.