WORDSMITHS WRITING CONTEST

Wordsmith /’w rd,smiTH/: a craftsperson who works words into usable forms; a skilled user of words

Current Contest:


Narrative Essay: A Winter Memory

Narrate a favorite winter memory. Whether it’s a snowball fight with friends, the joy of a holiday tradition, or the peaceful beauty of falling snow, we want to see how well you can tell a story. Share how winter sparks your imagination, warms your heart, or brings your family together. (Limit: 750 words)

This is a narrative writing contest, which means your story should have a clear plot and follow a sequence of events. It should have a beginning, middle, and end, and include key elements like character, setting, and plot. Your narration does not need to be an event that actually happened, although this is not a creative fictional essay, so stay away from fantasy or science fiction.

Entries due: 11:59 PM on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2024


Upcoming Contests:


Writing Skill Details Accnounced Deadline Winners Published
Persuasive Essay January 2025 Mid February March 2025
Creative fiction based on a photo prompt March 2025 Mid April May 2025

PRIZES:

First, second, and third place winners in each age group will be printed in The Homeschooler Magazine. Other entries may be but are not guaranteed to be published.

Prizes are as follows:

Age Divisions 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
5-8 Years Old $50 $30 $20
9-12 Years Old $75 $45 $30
13-18 Years Old $100 $60 $40

RULES:

Submission of entry into this contest constitutes acceptance of all rules and conditions.

  • Entrants must be residents of Utah, between the ages of 5 and 18 (5 and 18 are OK), who are participating in homeschool during the 2024-2025 school year.
  • Only one writing contest entry is allowed per student per contest. Students MAY submit student spotlights, book reviews, big wins, AND one entry in the writing contest.
  • No vulgarity, profanity, gratuitous violence, or “adult themes” are allowed. Entries must be “family friendly” and suitable for reading by children and adults of all ages.
  • AI is strictly prohibited and may NOT be used in any form at any stage of writing. You may NOT use ChatGPT, Grammarly, or any other AI to brainstorm essay ideas, generate an outline, write any text, or improve text you have written. All words should be the student’s own. Spell check is OK.
  • All entries must be in English.
  • All entries must be typed and submitted digitally. No hard-copy entries or pictures of hand-written entries will be accepted.
  • Copyright remains with the author, but The Utah Homeschooler has the right to publish it in the magazine, post it on their website, or use it for promotional materials.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

  • Student’s first and last name, age, and mailing address. (Only first name and last initial will be published.)
  • Student's typed writing contest entry; can be included in the body of the email, attached as a word document or PDF, or shared as a Google Doc file. If formatting matters (i.e. for some poetry), attach it as a PDF to preserve the formatting.
  • A photo of the student that shows their face
  • A signed Rules Agreement & Publication Release waiver (click here to get it)

Entries must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, November 22, 2024. Send entries to:

JUDGING:

Entries will be divided into three age groups for judging: 5-8 year olds, 9-12 year olds, and 13-18 year olds. They will be judged on the following criteria, adjusted to age-appropriate expectations:

Ideas: Is the story interesting and well thought out? Does it keep the reader engaged from start to finish?

Organization: Is there a clear beginning, middle, and end? Do the events of the story flow smoothly and make sense to the reader?

Word Choice: Does your writing bring the story to life? Do you “show” instead of “tell”? Are your descriptions clear and engaging?

Voice: Is the story told in a unique, personal way? Does your personality or perspective shine through?

Conventions: Is the writing polished with correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling? Does it meet the word limit and follow contest rules?

GUIDELINES FOR PARENT INVOLVEMENT:

  • Parents may teach their student about descriptive essays and help them brainstorm topics for their essay. However, they may not “give” them any words, either by promtping with sentence starters, making specific suggestions, or writing any portion of the essay for their student.
  • Parents may proofread their students’ essay, meaning they may make corrections to spelling and punctuation. They may not edit their essay, meaning they may not add, remove, or rearrange any words or suggest that the student do so. Parents may edit practice descriptive essays on other topics as part of their instruction, but they may not edit any essay that is entered into the writing contest.
  • Parents MAY type or transcribe essays for children who cannot type, but MAY NOT edit or change their students’ words while doing so.
  • All the words in a contest entry should be the student’s own words.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

Narrative Writing

The following resources have been selected for their educational value and engagement, but they have not been reviewed in full. Please review the content prior to use to ensure it meets your family’s standards before sharing with your children.