YES! National Student Writing Competition

The YES! National Student Writing Competition is an opportunity for middle school through university students to write for a real audience—not just you, the teacher—and the chance to be published by an award-winning magazine.

Each quarter, students are invited to read and write an essay on a selected YES! Magazine article. We divide contestants into four categories: middle school, high school, university, and Powerful Voice (for authors whose essays are powerful and passionate). Winning essays in each category are published on the YES! Magazine website and in our online education newsletter.

Read recent featured essays here.

 

Spring 2013 National Student Writing Competition:

Photo by Roman Gridin for Wikimedia Commons

This spring, students will read and respond to the YES! article, “A Month Without Monsanto,” by April Dávila. April's story is about the confidence she developed from knowing what she is eating. After April learned of the possible health effects related to eating genetically modified corn from Monsanto, she had an insatiable need to know more. She wondered where exactly Monsanto corn existed in her family's diet, and where her food came from. Genetically modified organisms, commonly referred to as “GMOs,” are organisms in which the genetic material or DNA has been altered in a way that doesn't occur naturally.

 

Prompt: Your students should write an essay of up to 700 words answering the questions: April Dávila discovered that around 70 percent of processed foods on American supermarket shelves contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Does this concern you? What matters most to you about the food you eat?

The deadline for registration is April 27. Essays must be submitted no later than May 18, 2013.

 

How does it work?

• Complete the competition registration form (see link at bottom of page)
• Students read and respond to the YES! article in up to 700 words.
• Submit up to three essays per class period, along with student release forms.

• For each of the following categories, YES! staff (and possibly the author of the article) will select one essay that we feel is well-written, compelling, and captures the spirit of the article:
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12
• College/university
• Powerful Voice (for an author whose essay is uniquely powerful or thought-provoking)
  

• The selected essays will be featured on the YES! Magazine website and in our online education newsletter, reaching thousands of YES! readers, including over 26,000 teachers.
• Teachers who submit essays will be entered into a drawing to win a complete set of 23 YES! posters for their classroom, valued at $66.  See what you could win here!

 

Common Core State Standards:

This writing competition meets several Common Core State Standards for grades 6-12, including W.9-10.3 and W.9-10.4 for Writing, and RI.9-10.1 and RI.9-10.2 for Reading: Informational Text *

*This standard applies to other grade levels. “9-10” is used as an example.

 

Who is eligible?

• You must be a classroom teacher—homeschool cooperatives and resource centers included—for your students to participate.

• Student writers should be in grades 6-8, grades 9-12, college/university, or adult continuing education, and should reside in the United States.

What are the essay requirements?

• Respond to the article and writing prompt provided by YES!
• Provide an original essay title
• Reference the article
• No more than 700 words
• Must be original, unpublished work
• Teachers must read and submit their students' essays. Remember, the limit is three essays per class period! Please take time to read your students' essays to ensure they have met essay requirements, including correct grammar. Unfortunately, we cannot accept essays sent independently by students.

In addition, we are evaluating essays for:

• Grammar
• Organization
• Strong style and personal voice. We encourage writers to include personal examples and insights.
• Originality and clarity of content and ideas
  
  

How do I submit the three best essays from my class?

• You must be registered for the competition by April 27, 2013.
• E-mail your three best student essays as word-processed document attachments (preferably Word and nor as a pdf or scanned document, please) to writingcompetition@yesmagazine.org no later than May 18, 2013.
• Include a scanned, completed student release form with each submitted essay.

 

Questions? Please email writingcompetition@yesmagazine.org, and thank you for joining us!

 

Get Started Here:

Registration Form

Student Release Form

Evaluation Rubric