COLOMBUS, Ohio — After receiving thousands of submissions from across the United States, Zaner-Bloser has named winners of the 34th annual Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest. The winners include seven Grand National Champions selected from 28 Regional Winners representing each grade K–6, and two Nicholas Maxim Award winners for students with cognitive, intellectual, physical and/or developmental disabilities.

Sacred Heart kindergartener Noah Hampton and first grader Oliver Graveman were named Southeast Regional Winners.

As the most recognized handwriting contest in the U.S., the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest has been celebrating the best in manuscript and cursive penmanship for more than three decades. Since 1991, more than 2.75 million students have participated in the contest. This year, contest entries came from 48 states as well as Washington, D.C.

“Research continues to tell us that writing by hand is imperative to learning, and we believe every child should have the opportunity to learn the art of penmanship,” said Lisa Carmona, Zaner-Bloser president. “It is such a delight to see so many students’ dedication to manuscript and cursive, and we are honored to present them with this recognition.”

Students who participate in the competition also benefit from the numerous cognitive advantages linked to writing by hand. Strong handwriting skills are associated with ongoing reading and math achievement as late as fifth grade. In 2024, Zaner-Bloser earned third-party certifications for the research and efficacy behind their handwriting program, Zaner-Bloser Handwriting.

All contestants wrote the sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” because it includes the entire alphabet. Judges selected winners for each level based on Zaner-Bloser’s Four Keys to Legibility: the shape, size, spacing and slant of the letters.

As participants in the contest, students had to first compete among their classmates. Participating private and public schools selected their own winners, who then advanced to regional judging. Grand National Champions are chosen from regional finalists in grades K–6. Nicholas Maxim winners are selected from a national pool of submissions, and only two winners, one for manuscript and one for cursive, are recognized each year.

2025 Grand National Champions

• Kindergarten – Pierce White – St. Paul’s Lutheran School – Norfolk, NE
• Grade 1 – Lakeisha Yara Killapanage – Linda Rankin Givens Elementary School – Las Vegas, NV
• Grade 2 – Vansh Sarda – DAV Montessori and Elementary School – Houston, TX
• Grade 3 – Zia Mercado – 1st Lutheran School – Fort Smith, AR
• Grade 4 – Aiden Soe – Valley Catholic Elementary School – Beaverton, OR

• Grade 5 – Kendall Grabinski – Lehman-Jackson Elementary School – Lehman, PA
• Grade 6 – Scarlet Lin – Saint Theresa Catholic School – Sugar Land, TX

2025 Nicholas Maxim Winners

• Nicholas Maxim Award for Manuscript – Zoey Lanier – St. Mark Lutheran School – Green Bay, WI
• Nicholas Maxim Award for Cursive – Ezra Rupple – Celeryville Christian School – Willard, OH

·         2025 Regional Winners

NOTE: Grand National Champions are chosen from the Regional Winners. *indicates a Grand National Champion who is also listed above.

Northeast

• Kindergarten – Eleanor Covucci – Soaring Heights Charter School – Jersey City, NJ
• Grade 1 – Carson Che – Notre Dame Elementary School – East Stroudsburg, PA
• Grade 2 – April Lin – Birchwood School of Hawken – Cleveland, OH
• Grade 3 – Rhea Bhagat – Saint James School – Manchester, CT
• Grade 4 – Alice Yang – Roose Elementary – Warren, MI
• Grade 5* – Kendall Grabinski – Lehman-Jackson Elementary School – Lehman, PA
• Grade 6 – Raymond Zhang – St. Peter Catholic School – Somerset, PA

Southeast

• Kindergarten – Noah Hampton – Sacred Heart School – Cullman, AL
• Grade 1 – Oliver Graveman – Sacred Heart School – Cullman, AL

• Grade 2 – Gus Armstrong – Providence Christian School – Dothan, AL
• Grade 3 – Alyssa Kim – Mary of Nazareth Catholic School – Darnestown, MD
• Grade 4 – Carla Oakes – Saint Patrick Catholic School – Fayetteville, NC
• Grade 5 – Luisa Licudine – Saint Veronica School – Chantilly, VA
• Grade 6 – Ares Michael Nguyen – St. Edward the Confessor School – Metairie, LA

Central

• Kindergarten* – Pierce White – St. Paul’s Lutheran School – Norfolk, NE
• Grade 1 – Wesley Xu – The Banff School – Houston, TX
• Grade 2* – Vansh Sarda – DAV Montessori and Elementary School – Houston, TX
• Grade 3* – Zia Mercado – 1st Lutheran School – Fort Smith, AR
• Grade 4 – Emmie Wolfgramm – Living Hope Lutheran – West Allis, WI
• Grade 5 – Martina Magrum – St. Anne’s Academy – White Bear Lake, MN
• Grade 6* – Scarlet Lin – Saint Theresa Catholic School – Sugar Land, TX

West

• Kindergarten – Kelhen Lopez – Coral Academy of Science – Reno, NV
• Grade 1* – Lakeisha Yara Killapanage – Linda Rankin Givens Elementary School – Las Vegas, NV
• Grade 2 – Braxton Duvall – Summit Christian Academy – North Pole, AK
• Grade 3 – Vivienne Johnson – Coastal Christian School – Pismo Beach, CA
• Grade 4* – Aiden Soe – Valley Catholic Elementary School – Beaverton, OR

• Grade 5 – Alana Crotty – Sequoya Elementary School – Scottsdale, AZ
• Grade 6 – Alexa Fox – Victory Christian School – Carmichael, CA

Each Grand National Champion and Nicholas Maxim Award winner receives an engraved Zaner- Bloser trophy and a $500 check. Regional Winners receive an engraved medallion in recognition of their achievement. Grand National Champion and Nicholas Maxim winning schools receive a $1,000 Zaner-Bloser product voucher, and both the schools and teachers receive certificates of achievement personalized by master penman Michael Sull.