Category Archives: contest

01

Dec. ’11

Writers in the Schools (WITS) Student Wins National Award

Creative Communication: A Celebration of Today’s Writers chose Writers in the Schools (WITS) student Jasmin Johnson as one of the top 10 4th grade poets in the nation.  Three of her poems will be published in an anthology of student writing.  Jasmin also will receive a $50 savings bond.  For more information about Creative Communication contests, please visit their website.  The next deadline for poetry is December 6, 2011.

Here are two of Jasmin’s poems:

The Runaway Imagination

Boom! Oh, no, my imagination is
exploding out of my head. It happened
just this morning coming out of bed.
I put on a headband my imagination
denies. I fall out of bed and cry.
Oh no, I feel dull. I lost my sense of
fun. My crazy imagination is on the run.
I have to catch it quickly, but wait! It’s
time for school but my imagination starts
to head for the pool.  I pull it aside and
bring it to class.  Hurray! It’s 9:30, I’m in
time for math. But wait! There isn’t
school today. You mean that there was
time to play? Oh, what a ridiculous
Saturday. You silly imagination,
get back in my head!

By Jasmin, 4th grade

Cup Full of Elephant: A Self-Portrait

I try to copy what I see.
Is it good enough?
Do you blame me?
Art is hard. I’ll just draw a cup.  Do
you see?  Is it good enough?
I’ll try to copy what I see.
Is it good enough?
Do you blame me?
Art is hard.  I’ll draw a set of paints! Do
you see? Is it good enough?
I’ll try to copy what I see.
Is it good enough?
Do you blame me?
Art is hard.  I’ll draw an elephant butt.
Wait! An elephant butt?  Ewww!

By Jasmin, 4th grade

Posted by . Categories: contest, creativity, Houston, poetry, student writing contest, writers in the schools. Tags: . Leave a comment

29

Nov. ’11

Renee Duke Youth Poetry Contest

writing in the journal

Image by redcargurl via Flickr

The Renee Duke Youth Award Poetry Contest is sponsored by Poets for Human Rights and Artists in Action International.

This year’s youth poetry contest is dedicated to Renee Duke (1927-2011) mother, artist, poet, mentor and life counselor who inspired thousands of people across all walks of life.
Entries are being accepted by email until November 30, 2011

Guidelines:

Anyone aged 17 or younger may submit up to five poems.

Poem(s) must relate to one or more of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To view public service announcements for each of the articles, visit
www.youthforhumanrights.org.

Poems must be in the body of email, or as PDF attachments. Email to stazja@yahoo.com. Note in the subject line “Youth Award.”

Poems should be no more than one page long. Do not use colors or graphics.

Previously published poems and simultaneous submissions are accepted.

Include the following information:

Name
Address
Age
School
Poem Title
Statement that the poem is your original composition.
Statement that you give permission to publish (with rights reverting back to the poet)

First prize is $50. Winner will be awarded a certificate and poem will be published at the Poets for Human Rights web site.

Honorable Mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the judge. HM’s will receive a certificate of award.

Winner and Honorable Mentions will be announced on December 10, 2011, the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For questions contact Stazja McFadyen at
<stazja(at)yahoo.com> (replace (at) with @ in sending email)

Posted by . Categories: contest, poetry, student writing contest, writers in the schools. Tags: , , , . Leave a comment

28

Nov. ’11

“Heroes Worth Writing For” Contest

U.S. Marines, Australian Defence Force personn...

Image by U.S. Pacific Fleet via Flickr

Pentel of America celebrates National Handwriting Day with Heroes Worth Writing For, a new promotion in partnership with Operation Gratitude.

Pentel of America, a company in the writing instruments industry, encourages children to hand-write a letter to the U.S. troops between now and January 23, 2012.

The contest has a dual purpose:

1) to celebrate the importance of handwriting and self-expression

2) to recognize and express thanks to the U.S. troops who may serve in harm’s way

Children may send handwritten letters to:  Pentel of America, 4000 E. Airport Dr., Suite C, Ontario, CA 91761.  In honor of National Handwriting Day, only handwritten entries will be accepted. The Grand Prize is a $200 Visa Gift Card and $100 in Pentel products. Four runner-ups will receive a $50 Visa Gift Card and $25 in Pentel products. Official rules can be found at www.pentel.com.

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22

Nov. ’11

Michelle Obama Unveils Student Poet Program

Here’s some news that Writers in the Schools (WITS) students can cheer about. And how great that the First Lady is standing up for poets and poetry!

Students, dig deep and discover the poet laureate within you!

From Reuters:

First Lady Michelle  Obama on Monday helped launched a new arts program to pick five student poets from high schools who will spend one year promoting poetry through readings, workshops and other activities.

The National Student Poets program is created by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, of which the first lady is honorary chair, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services through a partnership with nonprofit group, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

“What you learn through reading and writing poetry will stay with you throughout your life,” Obama said in a statement. “It will spark your imagination and broaden your horizons and even help your performance in the classroom.”

The five National Student Poets will be chosen from a pool of teenagers who have already received a national Scholastic Art & Writing Award for poetry. The selection panel will be comprised of poet Terrance Hayes, “Kenyon Review” editor David Lynn, Alice Quinn of the Poetry Society of America, and the Library of Congress’ Robert Casper.

More than 185, 000 students apply annually for the Scholastic Art & Writing Award and since 1923, winners have included teenagers such as Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Joyce Carol Oates and others.

The first five National Student Poets will be announced in summer 2012, and will each receive academic awards of $5,000. They will serve as literary ambassadors in their communities and encourage kids to develop writing and creative skills.

“The National Student Poets work will give greater visibility to the voice and perspective of today’s youth,” said Virginia McEnerney, executive director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities focuses on increasing creativity in schools and engaging students in being innovative. The Institute of Museum and Library Services makes federal grants aimed at creating strong libraries and museums.

(Reporting and Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Posted by . Categories: contest, poetry, student, writers in the schools. Leave a comment

11

Nov. ’11

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop. In addition, the winning poem will be published in The Kenyon Review. The runners up will also see their poems published. 

The contest is named in honor of Patricia Grodd in recognition of her generous support of The Kenyon Review and its programs, as well as her passionate commitment to education and deep love for poetry.

The final judge of the contest is KR poetry editor David Baker.

Submissions will be accepted electronically November 1 through November 30, 2011. The link to the submissions page for the contest will be active from this webpage on November 1, 2011.

Check out the guidelines and ubmit your work to the Patricia Grodd Poetry Contest by visiting the website.


Posted by . Categories: contest, publishing, student, student writing contest, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: , , , . Leave a comment

24

Oct. ’11

Houston Speak Green

Meta-Four Houston presents “Houston Speak Green” in partnership with Youth Speaks, Houston ArtsAlliance, DiverseWorks, Houston Museum of African American Culture and the University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts on November 1 and 5, 2011.  Houston Speak Green is the Regional Premiere of a spoken-word poetry contest for young people to speak about environmental effects on everyday life.

Houston-area youth ages 13 – 25 will speak their truths about environmental issues impacting their everyday lives in the regional premiere of Houston Speak Green, a spoken-word poetry contest in two parts. The preliminary round of the competition will be on November 1, 2011 at 6 p.m. at the Houston Museum of African American Culture (4807 Caroline, Houston, TX 77004) in the Museum District. The finals will be on November 5, 2011 at 5 p.m. in the Wortham Theatre of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, University of Houston (Entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard.)

The Houston contest is a regional response to the global conversation sparked by Brave New Voices Speak Green, the national competition launched in 2006 by San Francisco-based Youth Speaks, Inc. in partnership with the Redford Center and the U.S. Green Building Council to engage leading spoken-word poets as ambassadors for environmental change. Winners of Brave New Voices Speak Green have performed their works before actor and environmental activist Robert Redford, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Nobel Prize-winner Bishop Desmond Tutu and mayors from across the country.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Houston Speak Green events (Preliminary and Finals) are free to the public and no ticket is required.

Tuesday, November 1; 6 p.m.

Houston Museum of African American Culture, 4807 Caroline, Houston, TX 77004

Saturday, November 5; 5 p.m.

Wortham Theatre, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts

University of Houston, Entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard

For more information, click here.

Posted by . Categories: contest, event, Houston, nature, poetry, spoken word, student, writers in the schools. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a comment

19

Oct. ’11

Deaf Jam – October 19th at Rice U

Writers in the Schools (WITS) understands the power of slam poets, and we are lucky to have on staff a WITS writer, Deborah D.E.E.P. Wiggins, who’s been ranked the #2 female performance poet in the world.

We also celebrate deaf poets–each year WITS students from T.H. Rogers School bring down the house at the Blooms reading at Discovery Green.

So, we are excited to announce the upcoming film Deaf Jam, which documents a convergence of these two worlds.  It follows the story of  Aneta Brodski, a deaf teenager living in New York City, as she prepares to be among the first deaf competitors in a National Poetry Slam.

HoustonPBS Community Cinema Series offers free screenings of  independent films scheduled for upcoming broadcast on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens.  Thanks, HoustonPBS!


What: Deaf Jam, by Judy Lieff

When: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 at 7 P.M.

Where:  Rice Cinema, Entrance # 8 – University Blvd at Stockton

Posted by . Categories: contest, event, Houston, poetry, spoken word, writers in the schools. Tags: , . Leave a comment

27

Sep. ’11

Grants for High School Creatives

Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is accepting applications from exceptionally talented Texas youth (8th-11th grade) for its Young Masters grant program.Students of all artistic disciplines, including creative writing, may apply for this competitive grant program.  The most talented young artists will receive the title of Young Master and will be given grants of up to $2,500 per year for two years to further their advanced studies in their chosen arts disciplines.

Applications for the Young Masters program may be obtained on the TCA website by clicking here. All applications and support documents must be postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011.

Posted by . Categories: art, contest, creativity, education, student writing contest, writers in the schools. Leave a comment

25

Aug. ’11

Crashtest Magazine Seeks Submissions

Writer Wordart

Image by secretagent007 via Flickr

Call for Submissions—High School Writers

If you are a teenager currently enrolled in high school, grades 9-12, Crashtest, the new online literary magazine for high school writers, would like to hear from you!Crashtest publishes poetry, stories and creative non-fiction in the form of personal essays, imaginative investigation, experimental interviews, and more.

They are looking for writing that has both a perspective and a personality. They’re looking for authors who have something to say. Check them out at here.

Crashtest only accepts email submissions. Visit their site for sample work in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Go to www.crashtestmag.com for complete guidelines.

Posted by . Categories: contest, essay, fiction, poetry, publishing, student, writers in the schools. Leave a comment

08

Aug. ’11

Environmental Writing Contest for Kids

Our Green Tomorrow is sponsoring a writing contest for kids.

Deadline: October 31st, 2011.

What to submit: Based on our topic, children between grades 6-12 can either submit a written entry or scanned artwork that relates back to the environment. The main goal is to encourage kids to start thinking positively about the environment and the way it shapes our lives.

Awards: Winner of Written Entry – $500

Winner of Art Entry – $500

Entry fee: None (free)
 


For more information, click here.

Posted by . Categories: contest, nature, place, student writing contest, writers in the schools. Leave a comment

28

Jul. ’11

Humor Contest 2011

Subsoil (short story)

Image via Wikipedia

From the website of Amazing Kids:

Attention all Amazing Kids!

Do you love to make people laugh?  Do you have some hilarious and creative stories that you’d like to share?  Are you excited about trying out a new type of writing? If this sounds like you, show us what you can do by submitting your humorous short story to our humor contest!  We want to see your hilarious and creative stories that integrate jokes and funny moments!  Put a smile on everyone’s face and get a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

Rules:

Who: Kids and teens, ages 6-17

What: Amazing Kids! Humor Contest – Kids ages 6-17 can submit an original humorous short story of 1500 words or less.  One entry maximum per person so pick your best piece!

When: July 1, 2011 until August 30, 2011, 11:59pm PST.

Where: Email (preferred method) to contests@amazing-kids.org with Humor Contest and your last name and age in the subject line.  Attach a word or pdf document with your submission with your name, age and title of your submission at the top of the document. Videos retelling your story (not as a separate entry) may be included as a link to the video online to a site such as schooltube to your entry.  The videos must be the child’s original creation. Schooltube instructions and features for posting can be seen here:  http://www1.schooltube.com/Registration/Default.aspx.  Videos are not necessary but may be considered as a creative addition to your entry.

Posted by . Categories: contest, humor, student writing contest, writers in the schools, writing. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

22

Jul. ’11

The Sword of Darrow Short Story Contest

sword

from the Sword of Darrow website:

The Sword of Darrow is a young adult fantasy novel written by a father and son team, Hal and Alex Malchow. At the time they began the book, Alex was eight years old, had undiagnosed learning disabilities, and could not read at all. Alex created a set of characters and plot line, and together over a two-year period they wrote this book. The book is being published by BenBella Books and was released on June 7, 2011 (www.swordofdarrow.com).  To celebrate the release and to encourage other families to undertake writing projects together, the authors are sponsoring a scholarship competition based upon short stories written by a parent-child team.

Here is the contest info, all found on the website (swordofdarrow.com/node/5):

Rules:

Who: Teams consisting of a parent and a child between the ages of 7 and 14

What: Amazing Kids! Short Story Contest, 2011 – Teams can submit a fictional short story to the Sword of Darrow Scholarship Contest. The short story can have no more than 7500 words.

When: July 20, 2011 until August 30, 2011

Where: All stories must be typed and double-spaced! Mail your stories via snail mail to:

The Sword of Darrow Scholarship Contest

2200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 102

PMB 290

Arlington, VA 22201

All entries must follow the following requirements:

Be a fictional short story

Be no more than 7500 words

Be typed and double-spaced

Entries will be judged by Alex and Hal Malchow, the authors of The Sword of Darrow.

Prizes:

First Prize: A gift of a $5,000 contribution to “College America”, a 529 College Savings plan. This plan allows for tax favored distributions for qualifying post-secondary education expenses for any accredited schools in the United States. Parent or legal guardian will be designated as account owner for the benefit of the contest winner. All distributions are subject to 529 plan rules.

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28

Jun. ’11

Calling All FROG Poets!

A Australian Green Tree Frog

Image via Wikipedia

SAVE THE FROGS is accepting submissions for its annual frog poetry contest.  To read winners from the past two years, visit the website.

For inspiration, they provide a haiku written in the 17th century by Basho about frogs and then invite YOU to write one for the 21st century.

The following is straight from their website:

How do I write a Frog Poem?

We welcome any poems that mention frogs, salamanders, newts, toads, caecilians, amphibians, savethefrogs.com, and/or SAVE THE FROGS!

Here are some ideas for your frog poems:

(1) Find out about a particular kind of frog and describe the world from that frog’s point of view.

(2) What if you found the last frogs alive on the planet … What would you do? How would you feel?

(3) Write a poem that makes the reader understand the importance of saving frogs, or one that makes them realize the danger frogs are in.

(4) Write a poem about any of the threats to frogs.

(5) Write a poem about how ridiculously cool frogs are!

(6) Imagine all kinds of brave, extravagant and daring ways in which you could save the frogs. Check out our How to Help page.

Prizes

Did we mention that there will be prizes? Aside from fame and the admiration of your peers, the Grand Prize Winner and Honorable Mentions may all see their poems featured in a book of Frog Poetry we will produce. Contest winners will also be acknowledged on this website, alongside a copy of their poem. And to top it off:

The Grand Prize Winner will:

(1) Receive $100 CASH (or check!).

(2) Receive $50 worth of “Frog Cash” to be used for any of the cool, environmentally-friendly merchandise in the SAVE THE FROGS! Gift Center.

(3) Become an official judge of next year’s SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest.

(4) Receive frog fame.

Category Winners will:

(1) Win $50 CASH (or check!).

(2) Receive $30 worth of “Frog Cash” to be used for any of the cool, environmentally-friendly merchandise in the SAVE THE FROGS! Gift Center.

Categories

Category winners will be chosen from the following categories. Note however that the Grand Prize Winner may be chosen from any category.

(1) 18+ years of age

(2) 13-17 years old

(3) Under 13 age group

Contest Rules

(1) Submitted poetry must be your original creation!

(2) Be sure to mention at least one of the following: frogs, salamanders, newts, toads, caecilians, amphibians, savethefrogs.com, and/or SAVE THE FROGS!

(3) You may submit up to two poems. Please always give us the title of each poem. Please do NOT name your poems “Save The Frogs”.

(4) Submission of poetry constitutes your agreement to the Poetry Contest Terms & Conditions. Please read these over, as they describe your rights to the submitted poetry as well as ours.

(5) All entries are to be submitted no later than 11:59pm U.S. Eastern Time on October 15th, 2011. Email submissions must be RECEIVED by October 15th, 2011. Mail-in entries must be POSTMARKED by October 15th, 2011.

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27

Jun. ’11

Spilling Ink Contest

Description unavailable

Image by althene via Flickr

From the website of Spilling Ink:

SPILLING INK SHORT STORY CONTEST FOR AGES 8 -12!

Short Story Challenge: We dare you to… write a short story about anything you like.

Word limit: 1,000 words or less

For ages 8 -12

Prizes:

First Prize: A $25 Bookstore Gift Certificate & a signed copy of Spilling Ink.

Second Prize: A signed copy of Spilling Ink

Third prize: A signed copy of Spilling Ink

In addition, all three winning stories will be posted on the Spilling Ink Creativity Blog.

Deadline: Monday, July 11, 2011

U.S. and Canadian residents only

WE DARE YOU TO ENTER!

Type or cut-and-paste your story into the Spilling Ink Contact Form. Remember to include your name, age, and correct email address.

Posted by . Categories: contest, story, student writing contest. Tags: , . Leave a comment