youth contest

The 2007 Youth Writing Contest is open to students from 3rd
grade through high school. Entries will be judged in three age
groups as follows:

Short Story
Category J1                Grades 3 - 5                Maximum 3 pages
Category J2                Grades 6 - 8                Maximum 4 pages
Category J3                Grades 9 - 12              Maximum 5 pages

Poetry
Category J4                Grades 3 - 5                Maximum 10 lines
Category J5                Grades 6 - 8                Maximum 15 lines
Category J6                Grades 9 - 12              Maximum 20 lines

Screenplay        (open to middle & high school only)
Category J7                Grades 6 - 8                Maximum 4 pages
                                                                 plus 1/2 page summary
Category J8                Grades 9 - 12              Maximum 5 pages
                                                                 plus 1 page summary

This year, the timing for the youth contest is different and the
awards will no longer be presented at the conclusion of the
Frontiers in Writing Conference, as they were in past years.
Entries are now due postmarked no later than April 30, and
the awards ceremony will be on Saturday, July 21, 2007. With
this change, we hope the youth writing contest and its winners
may better bask in their own glory, rather than seeming
appended to the conference and adult writing contest.

General Contest Rules

1. Entries must be postmarked no later than April 30, 2007.
No exceptions!
2. Submit one (1) copy of entry, which must be an original,
unpublished work by the student.
3. Put your name on the contest entry form and the outside
envelope only. An author's name on any part of the entry
means immediate disqualification.
4. Entry must be typed on 8 1/2 by 11 " white paper in black
ink. Colored ink is grounds for disqualification.
5. Type the title on the first page and the title or keyword in
the upper left corner of each succeeding page. Beginning on
page 2, number the pages in the upper left corner. The proper
format, then, for pages 2 and beyond is the title followed by a
slash and the page number in the upper left corner - for
example - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow/2.
6. Mark the category number for your entry on the outside
envelope in the lower left corner.
7. A separate entry form is required for each submission.
However, multiple submissions may be mailed in the same
envelope. If you submit more than one entry in the same
envelope, mark the categories for all entries contained therein
in the lower left corner of your mailing envelope.
8. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with
your entry. Make sure the envelope contains the same postage
as the entry envelope. Entries submitted without a SASE will
not be returned. NO METERED MAIL - USE STAMPS ONLY.
9. Entries failing to comply with these general rules and those
following for specific categories will be disqualified and
returned without being judged.

Short Story and Poetry Rules

1. Times New Roman 12-point font is required.
2. Short story entries must have one-inch (1") margins all
around and be double-spaced. Center the title on the first page,
skip a space, and begin the story. Do not include a separate
title page! This first page, containing the title, counts as a page
in the page count for your entry.
3. Poems may be either centered on the page or flush with the
left margin. If the poem is centered, the title should be
centered. If flush with the left margin, the title also should be
flush with the left margin. Single space the lines of the poem
and double-space between stanzas.

Screenplay

The entry is the opening scene for a movie. Formatting rules
have been modified for the student's benefit. Students who
have studied screenplay manuals in anticipation of this
contest should follow the format outlined here instead of that
found in manuals. The format is as follows:

example . . .

DANGED IF I DO, DANGED IF I DON'T
An original screenplay for a feature film

FADE IN

EXT. GABLES RANCH BUNKHOUSE - GRAFTON, TEXAS -
LATE AFTERNOON

JAKE WINTERS slouches in his old pine rocker on the
bunkhouse porch. Wood chips fly as a miniature wolf emerges
from a block of wood. ZEKE, Jake's mongrel dog, rests beside
the rocker. Zeke growls when city slicker DAVE MAJORS
approaches. Jake pats the dog's head.

JAKE: Easy, boy. Old Dave's a a dude and a snake, but he's
harmless enough.

Dave mounts the steps.

DAVE: Afternoon, Jake. You got my money?

. . . end of example

Rules

1. Use Courier New 12-point font. Type the entry on one side of
8 1/2 by 11" white paper in black ink. Margins are 1" all around.
2. Action paragraphs are written in present tense and are
designed to introduce characters, set the scene, and set up the
dialogue. Maximum length for an action paragraph is four (4)
lines.
3. Action paragraph and dialogue lines are single-spaced.
Double space between action paragraphs and dialogue.
4. Action paragraphs may be used to break up dialogue.
5. Center title on the first page of the entry in capital letters.
Character names are in capital letters the first time they are
mentioned. Dialogue tags (speaker's name) are typed in bold
capital letters.
6. The summary must have the title centered at the top of the
page. The summary will introduce the characters and the
storyline. The summary is single-spaced with one-inch
margins all around. Paper clip (no staples) the summary to the
front of the play.

Note to Parents and Teachers

Reading a student's entry and making suggestions is
acceptable and encouraged. However, corrections and rewrites
are the student's responsibility. If the student is comfortable
with his or her entry, do not force changes or make them
yourself. It is the student's efforts being judged, not yours.