Target by Jasper Johns

2012 Children’s Contest Rules

Subject = Adventure

The final deadline for entries is March 31, 2012. Children are encouraged to submit their work to Houston-Texas-Online as soon as possible. They will receive 10 extra points if they submit their work prior to December 31, 2011. These extra points will count toward the final judging.

Entries will be displayed on the web site once they are received so more people will be able to admire their work.

AGE  Children in grades 1 & 2 (also those who are 6 years old and not yet in 1st grade during the year of the contest) are eligible.

Children in grades 3 – 5 (also children in 6th grade who are 12 years of age any time during the year of the contest) are eligible.

QUALIFICATIONS  Children must be residents of Harris or Fort Bend County, Texas and may attend public or private school or be home schooled.

REGISTRATION  Any child who plans to enter the contest should be registered as soon as possible. You may simply send an email with the child’s name, grade, age and parent’s contact information.

ENTRIES  1st-2nd Grade – may compete in art. Only one entry may be submitted per child.

3rd-5th Grade – may choose only one category – either art, poetry or short stories. Only one entry may be submitted per child.
ART WORK  Art work must not exceed 18″ x 24″ and may be media of the child’s choice. If you are considering submitting art work other than water color, oils, pastels, chalk, crayons, colored pencils, etc., please send an email describing the type of art you are considering so that we may verify if it would be acceptable.um number of entries in each category = 100. The first 100 entries received will be eligible. Please submit your work as early as possible.

Original art entries should be delivered to Linda Moore. Please contact Linda when you have an art entry ready to drop off and she will furnish you the location.

POETRY Poetry must be neat and easy to read and limited to one single page. It is preferable if the entry is typed and double-spaced (Times roman, 12 pt), but may also be printed if child does not have access to a computer and printer.

SHORT STORIES  Short stories is a new category for 2012. Short stories should be no longer than two single pages, preferable typed (Times Roman, 12 pt.) and double spaced. If child does not have access to a computer and printer, they may print as long is it is very legible and limited to two single pages.

Entries for poetry and short stories may be emailed to Linda Moore or you may contact Linda for mailing instructions or address for personal delivery.

Each entry must have an entry form completely filled out in order to be eligible.

IMPORTANT  Do not put the child’s name or any other personal information on the “front” of the entry or they may be disqualified.

ENTRY FORMSEntry forms must be completely filled out and attached to the back of the entry

To print out an entry form, click here

If you cannot print the entry form, you may type or print the following information and either tape, tack or staple to the back of the submission

• Child’s full name
• Child’s birth date
• Parent’s name
• Home address (must reside in either Harris or Ft. Bend County)
• Phone # (home, work, cell)
• Email address
• School Name
• Grade
• Principal
• Teacher
• Contact information for teacher or principal (phone # and/or email address)

AWARDS CEREMONY  Children must attend the awards ceremony to receive their awards. In case of an emergency, another family member or their teacher may accept the award for them.

President Obama issued a White House proclamation that states that “we must recognize the contributions of the arts and humanities not only by supporting the artists of today, but  also by giving opportunities to the creative thinkers of tomorrow.”

Writers in the Schools (WITS) is offering a second price reduction for qualifying schools.Through a generous donation from the Simmons Foundation, Writers in the Schools (WITS) announces a second price reduction for the 2011-2012 school year. The new price—which is nearly half of last year’s fee—is available for Title 1 schools with 60% or more students eligible for the free/reduced lunch plan.  The discount is available on a first-come first-served basis.

Why consider WITS?  Research has shown that students who complete the WITS program perform better on standardized tests than their counterparts.  Over 10 years of data collected by University of St. Thomas Professor Dr. Carl Scott indicates that students who complete the WITS program demonstrate:

• improved writing skills
• greater self-efficacy, and
• higher test scores

than those who did not participate in the program.  In a new study called “The Effect of Creative Learning on Student Achievement” by the Houston Arts Partners found that WITS students maintain:

• Increased attendance
• Better behavior in school

If you choose WITS for your school, we will tailor the project to fit your needs..  The cost of the program includes:

• Professional writers who teach the writing process from a practitioner’s expert point of view
• Bilingual writing teachers (upon request)
• Optional field trip to a local art museum or other cultural venue, and
• Publications of student writing free-of-charge for every participating student.