Donor gives students chance to win $50 in essay contest

SHELLEY — Through the generosity of an anonymous donor in our community, all current Shelley and Firth high school students ages 14-19 are invited to participate in an essay contest.

Each student is given the following question: “It’s fifty years in the future. You’re talking to a group of young people who were born long after the COVID-19 pandemic. What do you wish they understood about what it was like for you to live through this event?â€
The essay must be 350 words or less and the original work of the student. Citations and cover page information are excluded from the
word count.

Essay format:

• Essays must be typed.
• Essays must be double spaced
• Essays must be in 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
• No identifying information of the student may be included anywhere except as part of the cover page.
• Citations must be placed in footnotes, endnotes, or bibliographies.
• Only one submission per student is allowed.
• Cover page must include the full name of student author, the name of school or “homeschooled,†grade level, age, and word count.
• Deadline for submission is 5:00 pm, February 15, 2021
• The essay upload must include a cover page and picture of the student author. Submissions should be submitted as a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) formatted document and sent to [email protected].

Judging Criteria:

• Clarity/Effectiveness of expressing the theme
• Composition
• Originality

Awards:

• 1st place = $50,
• 2nd place = $35,
• 3rd place = $25,
• honorable mention $15.
• Winners will be announced on or about March 1, 2021.

Grounds for Disqualification:

• Submitting an essay that: Is not the student’s original, authored work. Misses the submission deadline; Provides fake cover letter information;
• Plagiarizes content.

License to Use Winners’ Essays, Names, and Photographs. By entering this contest, participants release the Community Pioneer to publish the essay in print publications and on public websites. In addition, winners authorize the use of photographs of themselves in contest-related
promotional materials.