Writing Contests!Get published! Win Prizes!

Earn bragging rights!

Why Should I Enter?

• Are you a writer? You may be able to win cash, scholarships, trips, and other awards with your essay-writing and creative writing abilities. There are many contests out there that address a wide variety of topics. Why not enter a competition today?

Reasons

• Writers of all ages need an audience. And what better way to gain one than to enter a writing contest? It’s so satisfying when a student receives a reward for his/her writing—whether it’s a cash prize, a special gift, or simply a chance to get published.

Deadlines!

• Deadlines: Students, particularly you teens, need to begin the practice of working within time limits, as you’ll face all sorts of deadlines throughout high school and college. Contest deadlines help you pace your writing so you can develop, write, and proofread the piece with time to spare.

Word Count

• Word count: Writing contests usually have some sort of word limit. Cutting a story or essay down to its most essential core will result in a tighter composition. It takes skill to whittle away excess verbiage in order to make every word count, but it’s a skill well worth developing.

Subject Matter

• Subject matter: Because most contests ask for a specific kind of writing—a short fictional story, a patriotic piece, or a poem, for example—you get to fine-tune your skills and focus your writing while practicing with a variety of themes. Writing on a given topic, even if it doesn’t especially interest you, is good practice for future writing assignments. You won’t always have a choice, and practicing with different genres broadens your base of writing experiences.

Have Confidence!

• Your may not want to enter writing contests because you don’t think you’re good enough to win, or you worry that everyone is better than you are. Try anyway—it’s a great learning experience! And the more your write, the better your writing will become.

What Are The Rules?

• Contest rules will vary significantly, and some may contain important information about possible restrictions, so be sure to read all individual rules carefully.

Okay, Okay!! Where Are The Contests??!!

Even More! Where?

Are you ready to write??We are breaking out into teams. The goal is to take the boring, bad, and/or overgrown sentences/paragraphs and to turn them into vibrant beauties that leave your readers satisfied and happy.

In your BO room, WORK TOGETHER! Don’t be afraid to voiceyour opinion or to suggest ideas.

Select one person who will be the spokesperson of your team.

Try to “outwrite” your competition.

Type your revised writing onto the whiteboard.

My cat is fat. She eats and eats. Her name is Lola. She weighs 23 pounds. Shehas green eyes. She hates water. She has no claws. She is black. She is fat.She likes tuna. I like to pet her. She is soft. I sneeze around her. She makespurring noises. She is my best friend, not the dog Petie. Brushes, litter, food, water, treats, and toys is what she needs. That is my cat Lola.

With your team, write a new paragraph using the ideas above. Be creative and descriptive! You all must work on this together to write a strong and interesting paragraph. You may

change whatever you’d like to make this excellent! Type your final paragraph below.