Students Recognized for their Artistic and Literary Voices

Image Explosion, Merion Mercy Academy’s annual literary magazine, has announced the winners of its recent writing and art contests, celebrating student creativity across genres and grade levels.

In October, Christina Flanagan ’26 earned top honors for her short story, “Trouble at the Pier,” a piece that she describes as “a bit of spontaneous writing and an excerpt of a larger, unfinished story” that sets the reader in the middle of things with a woman, a note, and an interrogation. 

For the Wintertide contest, Stella Boczkowski ’28 was recognized in the Visual Arts category for her piece “Snow Day,” and Erin Rebbechi ’28 was named a winner in the Prose and Poetry category for her work, “Hush.” 

The final deadline for submissions to this year’s edition of Image Explosion is February 17.

English teacher and Image Explosion co-moderator Mrs. Katie Cho explained the publication’s review process. “After we receive submissions, Samantha Peacock (English teacher and co-moderator) and I remove the students’ names from their work. The pieces are then reviewed by the Image Explosion student staff. During club meetings, the editorial board leads a discussion and vote to determine the winners.”

Winning entries are automatically included in the annual publication, and all submitted pieces are considered for inclusion.

Image Explosion is consistently recognized for excellence among student literary magazines. The 2024 issue received a Superior ranking—the second-highest honor awarded—by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) through its REALM (Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines) program. In past years, the publication has earned recognition from the Pennsylvania School Press Association and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Each issue of Image Explosion features a diverse collection of student work. Visual art submissions include photography, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, and graphite, while the literary section showcases original poetry and prose. Since its founding in 1996, Image Explosion has provided students from all grade levels with a meaningful platform to share their artistic and literary voices.