The ability of students to express themselves in writing is a fundamental component of literacy in all disciplines. The 21st century demands that students possess a wide range of writing skills for academic and workplace success.
As public and private school systems foster writing, they promote literacy. Schools promote literacy and writing through a proactive approach by emphasizing the following activities: writing throughout the year; research to support informative and argumentative writing throughout the content areas; publish, display and recognize outstanding student writing; and organize school-wide young writers contests to encourage students to submit entries to the county contests.
Writings submitted for judging may be on any topic and must be composed during the current school year, during school hours and supervised by a teacher. It is common for students to write a story.
The WV Young Writers Contest Celebration Day is May 4 at the University of Charleston, Riggleman Hall, Geary Auditorium. Teachers affiliated with West Virginia's National Writing Project Sites will judge entries analytically and holistically. Counties will receive announcements of results by mid-April. Entries will be judged on ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions.
Entries submitted in the state competition have word limits that vary depending on the grade levels. Entries must be word-processed and double-spaced on 8.5-by-11-inch paper. Each entry must be titled. The student's name and other identifying information may not appear on the entry. A cover sheet and permission release and Website Form must be stapled to each entry.
YWC County Coordinators must submit winning entries in the following order: 1) cover sheet, 2) permission release and website form, 3) entry.
Public and private school entries are due to the Upshur County Board of Education Office by March 12. The county winners will be judged and sent to Marshall University by March 19. Students in private schools within the county district may participate. Entries submitted from private schools must be judged at the county level.
Forms and full rules for WV Young Writers Contest are available on the Central West Virginia Writing Project website at www.marshall.edu/cwvwp or by emailing Paul Epstein at pepstein@suddenlink.net or calling him at 304-343-5074.
