2009 SLWG The Big Write (Kids' Contest)
Are you a talented young writer? Do you know a talented young writer? St. Louis Writers Guild hosts an annual youth writing contest. This year's contest is co-sponsored by The Big Read literary festival. Read all about it!
On behalf of The Big Read festival, St. Louis Writers Guild, and No Waste Publishing, students in grades 4-8 (in Fall 2009) are invited to participate in the third annual youth writing contest, The Big Write! The contest officially opens on February 15, 2009 and will end on September 4, 2009.
The Prizes!
There will be six winners–three in each of the two grade level categories for (1) Grades 4 & 5, and (2) Grades 6-8. Winners will receive cash prizes of $100 for 1st place, $50 for 2nd place, and $25 for 3rd place. Winners will each receive an Award Certificate and will be invited to read their winning entries before a live audience at The Big Read festival on Saturday, October 10, 2009. The winning stories will also be published on The Big Read website at: www.bigread.net. All students that submit qualified entries will receive a special commemorative bookmark from The Big Read.
The Contest Rules!
Write an original story that begins with the sentence: "It sounded like someone was scratching at the window." The story may be scary, adventurous, humorous, or just plain fun. Judging will be based on originality, cohesiveness, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
Your entry must meet the following guidelines to be eligible to win:
- You may submit more than one entry, but the Official Contest Entry Form (see the entry form) must be stapled, not paper-clipped, to the front of each story you submit. A missing entry form for any story will disqualify that story.
- Each entry may not contain less than 250 words or more than 500 words (Title doesn’t count).
- Each entry must begin with the exact sentence: "It sounded like someone was scratching at the window." It must be placed below your story title, to begin the first paragraph.
- Each entry should be typed or neatly hand-printed on plain white paper. If you type, you must use a standard 12-point black font. No fancy fonts or colored paper! Use black ink if you hand-print your entry. Print neatly.
- Do not include pictures with your entry.
- Do not write your name or include any identifiable marks on the story pages.
A separate contest entry form must be attached to every story you send us. You may photocopy this form and print additional copies off The Big Read website at: www.bigread.net. Copies are also available at St. Louis City Libraries, St. Louis County Libraries, Jefferson County Libraries, St. Charles City Libraries, and St. Charles County Libraries. For more information, visit: www.bigread.net or call 314-863-0278.