Anaya Ellick wins a National Award

This girl must be really active in what she does and to be able to win a national award for handwriting, especially in her young age, it is an achievement in herself. But what makes Anaya Ellick’s accolade extra special is that the seven-year-old accomplished the feat despite having no hands. Even more amazing? The first-grader from Virginia, won the prestigious Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Manuscript Penmanship, on April 11, does not use prosthetics. The young girl produces her perfect penmanship by standing close to her desk with her pencil firmly gripped between her forearms.

While the impeccable handwriting may surprise the world, Tracy Cox, her Principal of Greenbrier Christian Academy where Anaya goes to school, is not. In fact, her Principal entered her in the annual national handwriting competition. The young girl who competed in the category for students with special needs had to outshine 50 contestants to win the award. But there was little to worry about. Said the judges, many of who are occupational therapists, were "just stunned" by the quality of Anaya's printing. Wright says, "Her writing sample was comparable to someone who had hands."