2025 Michael Steinberg Memorial Essay Contest Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered this year’s Michael Steinberg Memorial Essay Contest. Though we received many phenomenal essays, we hope you will join us in congratulating this year’s winner, as selected by our judge, Sonya Huber: “Secret Passage” by Shea Burchill!

Of the winning essay, Sonya Huber had this to say: “I found this essay so compelling because it allows the reader to accompany the author in an ongoing and complex exploration of a mystery that is still unraveling. More than narrative suspense, this accompaniment produces a sense of deep connection both to the subject matter and to the larger unknown that we all navigate. An open-ended reflection on secrets, gender identity, change, and memory, this beautiful essay presents the experience and consequences of feeling trapped in a gender binary.”

Shea Burchill

Shea Burchill (she/her) is a divorce lawyer who lives on the Front Range of Colorado with her husband, three dogs and an ancient cat. She has two adult daughters. She continues to write about trans/nonbinary issues, specifically interested in the places where the personal, relational and political braid together.

Shea Burchill will receive a $1,000 award for her essay and will be featured in issue 28.1 (Spring 2026) of Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction.