First Grade Girl With No Hands Dominates Penmanship Competition

Penmanship was never something I excelled at as a child. In fact, I was downright horrible at writing legibly. My mother always said it was okay because I had poor fine motor skills, but in light of this story, I now feel like I should have just sucked it up and tried harder.

Educational publisher Zaner-Bloser Inc awarded its first ever Nicholas Maxim Award for outstanding penmanship on Wednesday, and it went to a seven-year-old girl with no hands. That’s right. A seven-year-old girl named Annie Clark, born without hands, won a contest for her outstanding handwriting. It’s amazing how far determination and effort can take someone.

According to The Post-Gazette, Clark figured out how to wedge the writing utensil between her two arms a few years back, and she’s been thoroughly slaying penmanship ever since. In addition to her talents with a pencil, she’s also proficient at riding her bike, swimming, typing and using an iPad touch. Last year, she even started painting her own toenails.

In addition to a surprise ceremony held at her school, Clark also received a large trophy and one thousand dollars in prize money. She initially gave reporters the runaround who were trying to interview her because she wanted to attend math class, but once her teacher excused her for the afternoon, she gladly showed reporters the award-winning penmanship.

Pop Blend’s sincerest congratulations go out to Clark for her well-deserved win. Here’s to hoping she sets her mind to curing AIDS after college.