Rider University 38th Annual HS Writing Contest

Rider University HS Writing Contest

HS Writing Contest

Deadline: December 15, 2017
Eligibility:  Grades 9-12
Entry Fee: None
Award: $100 and possible publication in Venture Magazine
How to Enter: Guidelines
Judge: Dr. Roberta Clipper
Previous Winners: 37th Annual Contest Winners
Website: rider.edu

SUBMIT:

  • ESSAY: Personal essay, labeled ESSAY, any topic. Max 5 double-spaced pages.
  • FICTION: Short story, labeled FICTION. Max 5 double-spaced pages.
  • POETRY: One poem. Max 50 lines.

RULES:

  1. Type on the entry:
    Your Name and address
    Grade
    Teacher’s Name
    School Name and address
  2. Include a letter from a teacher stating that the work is original and by you.
  3. Entries must be typed.  Stories and essays must be double-spaced. Please give your story, essay and or poem a title.
  4. Only one entry per category will be considered.  Choose your best writing and send only one.
  5. Mail your entry postmarked no later than December 15, 2017 to:
    Dr. Roberta Clipper
    English Department
    Rider University
    2083 Lawrenceville Road
    Lawrenceville, NJ  08648

Entries cannot be returned.  Winners will be announced by May 2018. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish to receive a list of winners. GOOD LUCK!

25th Annual Letters About Literature Contest

Letters About LIterature

Deadlines: Find your state here.
NJ Deadline: Saturday, December 9, 2017
Eligibility:  Grades 4–12
Entry Fee: None
Award: Regional & National Honors
Submit: Personal essay in the form of a letter to an author, living or dead. See guidelines.
How to Enter: Guidelines
Previous Winners: Click here for national and state-level winners
Website: Letters About Literature

Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Letters are judged on state and national levels. Tens of thousands of students from across the country enter Letters About Literature each year. If you are in grades 4-12, you are eligible to enter the Letters About Literature reading and writing contest.

The 2017-18 Letters About Literature contest for young readers is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries and other organizations.

Continue reading “25th Annual Letters About Literature Contest”

Scholastic Writing Awards

Scholastic Writing Awards

Regional Deadlines: Click for deadlines.
NJ Writing Deadline: Extended to December 7, 2017
NJ Art Deadline: January 3, 2018
Eligibility: Public, private, or home-school students in the U.S., Canada, or American schools abroad enrolled in grades 7–12
Entry Fee: $5/regular submission. $20/ Senior Writing Portfolio
Award: Regional, National Awards and Scholarship Opportunities
Categories: For a full list of category descriptions, click HERE.
SignupCreate an account
Previous Winners: Scholastic online galleries
Original work only: See website for copyright and plagiarism FAQ
Blind Judging: Submissions may not contain your name or personal information.
Judging Criteria: Originality, technical skill and personal voice.
Website: ArtandWriting.org

Writing Categories:

POETRY: Set of 1-5 poems with combined line count of 20 – 200 lines
FICTION: 1,000 – 3,000 words
FLASH FICTION: 1,000 words max.
PERSONAL ESSAY/MEMOIR: 500 – 3,000 words
CRITICAL or PERSUASIVE ESSAY: 500 – 3,000 words (cite sources)
JOURNALISM: 500 – 3,000 words
DRAMATIC SCRIPT: 500 – 3,000 words.
NOVEL WRITING: Excerpt up to 3,000 words plus 250 word summary.
SCI/FI or FANTASY: 500 – 3,000 words
HUMOR: 500 – 3,000 words.
SENIOR PORTFOLIO: Seniors only: 8 distinct works that demonstrate versatility as a writer and diversity in writing technique and styles, plus writer’s statement. See website for further details.

Manuscript Details:

  • No names on manuscripts or work will be disqualified
  • Put the title at the top of the first page only
  • No names of real people
  • Parent, teacher & student signatures required on entry form
  • Do not double submit to different categories unless the 2nd submission is for the senior portfolio

Steps to Submit Work for NJ Region Only:

  1. Work must be uploaded before December 7, 2017 in order to obtain your teacher’s signature on the entry form (Ms. James, Ms. Gabb or your English teacher).
  2. Once your work has been uploaded, download your entry form and print it out.
  3. Have the form signed by your parent, your teacher and yourself.
  4. Mail the form via the U.S. Post Office (see address below). You may enclose a check or pay online. The fee is $5 per individual submission and $20 per Senior Writing Portfolio.
  5. Make the check payable to: NEWARK PUBLIC LIBRARY. (Checks made payable to the Scholastic Awards or Scholastic cannot be cashed and the student’s application will not be accepted. One check may be written for multiple submissions). Scholastic also accepts payment via Either form of payment is acceptable, but entry forms must be physically mailed.
  6. DEADLINE – Forms and fees must be POSTMARKED by December 7, 2017.
  7. DO NOT mail your manuscripts. Those are uploaded electronically. DO mail signed entry forms and checks to:

Attn: Maisy Card
Newark Public Library
O. Box 630
Newark, NJ 07101-0630

Gregory Djanikian Scholars Program

Gregory Djanikian ScholarsThe Adroit Journal annually recognizes
six emerging student or non-student poets as
Gregory Djanikian Scholars.

Deadline: December 15, 2017
Eligibility: Anyone, student or non-student, who has NOT published a full-length collection of poetry
Entry Fee: $9
Award: $100 & portfolio publication in The Adroit Journal
Submit: Up to 6 poems, 10 page max
Guidelines: Simultaneous and previously published submissions acceptable if stated in cover letter. See details.
Questions: editors@theadroitjournal.org
Website: theadroitjournal.org

Gregory Djanikian was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and came to the United States when he was eight years old. He has published six poetry collections, the latest of which is Dear Gravity (CMU Press, 2014). His poetry appears in American Poetry ReviewBest American PoetryBoulevardPoetrySouthern Review, and TriQuarterly, among others. Until retiring, he was the longstanding Director of Creative Writing at the University of Pennsylvania, where he still teaches poetry workshops.

Greg’s insight and instruction has greatly enriched both the Adroit Journal as well as its staff of emerging writers. We’d like to recognize and encourage the gift of such support by offering it ourselves, to six writers in need of affirmation and support. In honor of Greg’s contribution to emerging student and non-student writers at Penn and around the world, we hope to recognize talent from around the world and open them to a long future in writing. 

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIPS

We will be annually recognizing six emerging student or non-student poets as Gregory Djanikian Scholars. All emerging writers who have not published full-length collections are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and are encouraged to submit.

Gregory Djanikian Scholars receive $100 and publication of their portfolios of poems in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Finalists will be awarded copies of Greg’s latest collection, Dear Gravity, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions may include up to six poems (maximum of ten pages single-spaced). Simultaneous submissions, previously published submissions, and submissions recognized by outside organizations are accepted, provided that a) a full catalogue of publication history for enclosed poems is included in the submission and b) at least one poem in the submission remains unpublished. Submitters should reach out promptly via email (editors@theadroitjournal.org) if work acknowledged as unpublished in the cover letter is accepted elsewhere.

Writers are welcome to additionally submit enclosed work to the Adroit Prizes as well as through our general submission portal. However, each writer may not send more than one entry per year for the Gregory Djanikian Scholars designation.

As mentioned above, all emerging writers who have not published full-length collections are eligible (regardless of age, geographic location, or educational status), and Gregory Djanikian Scholars will receive $100 and publication in a future issue of the Adroit Journal. Additionally, finalists will be awarded copies of Greg’s latest collection, Dear Gravity, and a list of semifinalists determined by the editors will be released with results.

To accommodate this while offering free online issues, we have set a non-refundable submission fee of $9. If you require financial assistance, you may submit a fee waiver by downloading this form and following the instructions. Due to fee waivers’ processing time, fee waivers will only be accepted until one week before the deadline (postmarked).

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT.

Please direct any questions to editors@theadroitjournal.org

“Jersey Shorts” Student Fiction Contest

Jersy shorts student fiction contestA New Contest for Student Fiction

Eligibility: NJ Students Grades 9-12

Prize:

  • Governor’s Award
  • A special performance of their work read by professional actors.

Submission:

  • Students must submit two pieces of fiction.
  • Maximum 1500-word piece on any subject of their choosing
  • Maximum 750-word piece of “Flash Fiction” on the subject of the Annual Prompt (see below)

Prompt:

In the space of 750 words or less, give us the complete life of a character. The challenge here is to present to us an individual, unique and distinctive, while also giving us a sense of that person’s entire existence, whether that existence was in the service of others, or with a philosophy of utter selfishness, or with an impact no one could have foreseen. Maybe this character’s life presents a lesson for others to live by (or resist). Surprise us with details about this fictional life, keeping in mind that the most surprising details are the ones we embarrassingly admit are too, too true.

More Information: wtnj.org/jersey-shorts

Deadline: December 1, 2017

NJ Youth Poet Laureate Contest

NJ Youth Poet LaureateEligibility: NJ students grade 9-12

Prize:
• Inclusion of five poems in the National Youth Poet Laureate Program Northeast Region Anthology
• Entry into the National Regional Contest, the winner of which receives a “book deal,” an anthology of their work.
• Consideration for the National Youth Poet Laureate Award
• A New Jersey Governor’s Award
• A special performance of the New Jersey Youth Poet Laureate winners.
• Additional opportunities to perform throughout the year as ambassadors of the NJ Youth Poet Laureate Program.

Submit:
• Works of poetry, rap, and spoken word.
• 5 poems, including a poem on the theme: “Mind Your Elders,” about senior citizens.

MORE INFORMATION:
• Creative Writing News: blogs.newarka.edu/creativewritingclass/
• Ms. James at tjames@newarka.edu
• Writers’ Theatre of New Jersey: wtnj.org/nj-youth-poet-laureate

Deadline: December 1, 2017

Princeton Poetry Prize

Princeton Poetry PrizeDeadline: November 27, 2017
Eligibility: High school juniors
Entry Fee: Free
Submit: Up to 3 poems
Awards:  1st Prize: $500; 2nd Prize: $250; 3rd Prize: $100.
Previous Winner: Gunsafe” by Joseph Felkers
Judge: Princeton University Creative Writing Faculty
Website:  arts.princeton.edu

Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize 

The contest recognizes outstanding work by student writers in the 11th grade. The jury consists of members of the Princeton University Creative Writing faculty such as Michael Dickman, Yiyun Li, Paul Muldoon, James Richardson, Tracy K. Smith, Susan Wheeler, and Monica Youn. Find guidelines here.

Online submissions are now being accepted for the 2018 contest — apply below. The application deadline is midnight EST on Monday, November 27, 2017.

A note for high school teachers:

Thank you for your interest in the Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize. While we encourage the inclusion of poetry in the high school English curriculum, we ask you to please refrain from using the contest as an occasion to require all your students to submit a poem as a homework assignment. If you read the poems from the past student winners, you’ll see that they all carry a sense of urgency and necessity that is difficult to conjure when a student is obliged to submit a poem. Ideally, we hope motivated students will choose to enter the contest, and that they’ll come to see the writing and sharing of their poems as a joy rather than an obligation.

We’d also like to recommend the following poetry anthologies:

Poem-a-Day: 365 Poems for Every Occasion, edited by Tamar Brazis
20th Century Pleasures, edited by Robert Hass
The Best of the Best American Poetry, edited by Robert Pinsky

Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize

Patrica Grodd Poetry PrizeKenyon Review Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

Deadline: November 30
Eligibility: HS Sophomores & Juniors worldwide
Entry Fee: Free
Submit: ONE previously unpublished poem
Awards: Publication in Kenyon Review & full scholarship to Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
Previous Winner: Poem by Eileen Huang
Judge: KR Editor at Large Natalie Shapero
Website: KenyonReview.org
Guidelines: kenyonreview.org/contests

ABOUT:

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 and the poems of the two runners-up will be published in The Kenyon Review, one of the country’s most widely read literary magazines.Patricia Grodd Poetry PrizeThe 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 Editor at Large Natalie Shapero.

It’s Simple to Enter

    • Limit of one, previously unpublished poem per entrant (please do not simultaneously submit your contest entry to another magazine or contest.)
    • You must be a high school sophomore or junior to enter
    • Make sure your file is in ONE of the following formats:

-.PDF (Adobe Acrobat)
-.DOC or .DOCX (Microsoft Word)
-.RTF (Rich Text Format)
-.TXT (Microsoft Wordpad and Notepad, Apple TextEdit)

  • Submit your poem between November 1 and November 30, 2016 by pressing the “Submit Here” button on the website and uploading your file.
  • No entry fee; it’s 100% free!