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Home-School-Friendly Writing Contests for StudentsHere are some of the contests I'm familiar with. It's a good idea to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the contest's focus and rules before you start writing. It's wise to choose contest that fits your student's interests and values, so a little research on the sponsor's website is a good idea. One thing you'll notice is that many competitions offer a prize for the sponsoring teacher, as well, which can be a nice incentive to help your student polish his or her work to the max! Most of these contests occur annually, but some are less frequent. Again, just check the rules! From what I could tell, most, if not all, of these competitions welcome submissions from homeschooled students. For contests that don't have a specific policy published, it's a good idea to inquire before investing a lot of work into a project. If you know of other good contests that I haven't included, please let me know. As always, click on the titles, and the contest website will open in a new window. Tweener Ministries Chapter Book CompetitionDo you have a high school student who wants to write a novel? Here is an exciting international competition in which teens write a 15,000 word book for "tweeners" (ages 8-12). This contest is seeking "fast-paced, action-packed, value-promoting adventures without gore." Winners receive scholarships, and the first-place winner is published, with a $1000 advance on royalties. I found out about this contest a month or so before the deadline (2007), and one of my students was inspired to enter. Despite the extremely short deadline, she wrote a mystery novel that made it into the top twenty entries! Needless to say, she's already planning a new novel for next year, and I am looking forward to reading more of her fiction. The David Melton Memorial Written & Illustrated by… Contest for StudentsThis competition, formerly The National Written & Illustrated by… Awards Contest for Students, has finally been revived! It was the most fun, rewarding, and interesting competition my boys entered during their school years. Only my two oldest were able to participate, as the contest was discontinued for a few years, but the books they created from it are some of my favorite keepsakes. Sponsored by Landmark Books, this contest requires a student to write, illustrate, and bind a 32-page book. There are three age categories: 6 to 9; 10 to 13; and 14 to 19. The rules state that "each student's book may be on any subject and in any genre - fiction, non-fiction, biography, autobiography, mystery, humor, science fiction, etc. Text may be written in either prose or poetry." According to the website, "A qualified panel of judges, composed of professional editors, writers, illustrators, teachers, and librarians will judge the book entries on the merits of originality and the writing and illustrating skills displayed. Landmark Editions will then publish the three winning students' books, one from each of the three age categories." Winners will also "enjoy an all-expense-paid trip to Landmark offices in Kansas City, Kansas, where Landmark's professional staff will assist them in the editing, refining, and final production of their books. ...[they] will become published authors and illustrators, and will be paid royalties annually on the sales of their books." National History Day Research PaperIf you're going to assign a challenging historical research paper, you may want to consider tailoring it to the requirements of the National History Day contest, so that the student can get some extra mileage out of it. The completed paper must be between 1,500 and 2,500 words (6 to 10 pages), and must contain an annotated bibliography and footnotes or endnotes in the correct style. There are some very nice prizes available, although the website is chopped into so many fragments that it takes awhile to find all the information needed. However, if your student has a chance of winning several hundred dollars for a paper he'd have to write anyway, it's definitely worth a look! Scholastic Art & Writing AwardsThe national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards contest offers "early recognition of creative teenagers and scholarship opportunities for graduating high-school seniors." Students in grades 7-12 are enouraged to submit works in any of 25 writing and art categories. Competition in this high-level contest is intense, and awards are given at both the regional and national level. In addition to many smaller awards and generous scholarships, twelve Portfolio Gold Awards, (special $10,000 cash grants) are presented to "graduating seniors—five artists, two photographers and five writers—for exemplary portfolios." Joan Lowery Nixon Award: Mystery Writing Contest for Children and TeensSponsored by the Mystery Writers of America and its MWA:Reads youth literacy program, this short story contest is open to students in Grades 2-10 in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. A cash prize of $250 is awarded to the winner in each of two Categories: Grades 2-5 and Grades 6-10. Students are encouraged to "use their imaginations and their language arts skills to create their own unique mystery stories." The rules state that "Home-schooled students can submit stories through their supervising parent, guardian, or tutor. Only one story per parent/guardian/tutor will be accepted. (Exception: Home-school parents, guardians, or tutors who have students in two Categories can submit one story for each Category.) Proof of home-schooling will be required if requested by Mystery Writers of America and MWA:Reads." Letters About LiteratureLetters About Literature, a National Reading and Writing Promotional Program for children and young adults is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. This contest "invites readers in grades 4 through 12 to enter Letters About Literature, a national reading-writing contest. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre-- fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves." There are three levels of competition: Level I- grades 4 through 6; Level II- 7 and 8, and Level III- grades 9 - 12. The contest deadline is in December of each year, and winners are announced and receive cash prizes the following spring. As of fall 2007, I could find nothing specific about homeschool participation in the contest rules. If you are interested, it would be worthwhile to inquire. The Great Questions Essay CompetitionThe Great Questions Essay Competition, for Canadian high school and college studnets (under the age of 21) invites young people to "weigh-in on six key debates about Canadian history and culture. Students are asked to submit a 1500-word essay on one of the six Great Questions topics with a chance to win a $2,000 cash prize." USA Weekend's Student Fiction ContestUSA WEEKEND's seventh annual Student Fiction Contest is an opportunity for students in grades 9-12 to write a 1500-word short story for an enormous audience. The rules state that "a substantial part of the action of the short story should take place during the summer months, some time in the present." Entries will be judged by the magazine's editors. The grand prize story will appear in USA Weekend, and the winner will receive a $2000 scholarship. Five finalists will also be honored. Optimist International Essay ContestIf you have an opinionated young person, the essay contest sponsored by Optimist International is designed "to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective. In additional to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity win college scholarships." Students under the age of 19 are eligible, and need to contact their local Optiminst Club to apply. Winners from individual clubs advance to the District level, and winners of the District level go on to compete at the International level. Because the contest begins on the local level, policies about homeschool applicants may differ, but it's often worthwhile to ask, as the odds of winning a smaller contest are often quite good. "My Best Friend" Story ContestIf you have a child who loves a dog, here is a low-key contest for younger students. They are invited by the Land of Pure Gold Foundation, a site focused on human/canine relationships with an emphasis on the Golden Retriever, to submit a story of at least two paragaphs, telling about a dog who is their best friend. There is no cash prize here-- just publication on their Contest Winners page, which features entries from every year since 1998. Read, Write & DrawRead, Write & Draw offers a monthly contest in which students from 4-14 "finish a [provided] story in their own words and include a drawing (using any media) to accompany the story. All submissions are due, or must be postmarked, by the last day of the month." The winner’s completed story and drawing will be posted on the Read, Write & Draw website, and prizes, such as gift cards to major retailers, will be mailed out within 4-6 weeks. This is another low-stakes contest that could ease a reluctant writer into regular monthly participation. The Writing KidThis e-zine, described as "the zine for future writers today," shares articles on writing plus a listing of small and regional contests to enter. Editor C. Hope Clark seems to put a lot of thought into each issue, so it may be a valuable (but free) resource for your budding writer. You can subscribe to it via RSS feed to have the latest issue delivered to your feed reader or inbox.
© 2002-2007 by Janice Campbell
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