The 2010 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
Memoir (your own experience written in first person):
Category #J7 Grades 3-5 Maximum 2 pages
Category # J8 Grades 6-8 Maximum 3 pages
Category #J9 Grades 9-12 Maximum 4 pages
Published writers will judge entries Authors will be notified by mail, and awards presented at a reception on Saturday,
July 17, 2010. Time and place will be announced at a later date.
2010 YOUTH CONTEST RULES
The following rules apply to all entries. They were developed to prepare you for submitting work to adult contests, as
well as to agents and editors.
1. DEADLINE Entries must be postmarked no later than APRIL 1, 2010. Mail entries to Barbara Propst, PPW Youth
Writing Contest, PO BOX 20887, Amarillo, Texas, 79114
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 SUBMIT One (1) copy of entry, which must be an original, unpublished work by the student.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 should be typed on one side of 8 ½” x 11” white paper in black ink only. 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. (Title/ Page)
6. MARK your category number(s) on the outside of the envelope in the lower left-hand corner.
7. A SEPARATE entry form is required for each submission. Multiple submissions may be mailed in one envelope.
All categories must be noted on the lower left corner of the mailing envelope.
8. INCLUDE a self addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with the entry. The SASE should be the same size and
postage amount as the entry envelope. Entries submitted without an SASE will not be returned to the student. NO
METERED MAIL
9. ENTRIES failing to comply with the stated rules will be disqualified.
Short Story, Memoir, and Poetry rules:
1. TIMES NEW ROMAN 12 point font is required.
2. SHORT STORY and MEMOIR entries have 1” margins all around. Title should be centered on the first page.
Double space the entry. DO NOT include a title page. A title page counts as a page of 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, otherwise, the title is flush with the left margin. Lines are single spaced. Double space between stanzas.
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 entry, do not force
changes or make them yourself. The student’s efforts are being judged.
MAILING CHECKLIST
_____________ Entry
_____________ Separate entry form for each submission signed by the author and a parent or guardian.
(Students over eighteen are not required to have a parent or guardian sign the entry.)
_____________ Category number(s) marked on the outside of the envelope in the lower left hand corner.
_____________ SASE with proper postage. (NO METERED MAIL)
_____________ Mail to:
BARBARA PROPST
PPW YOUTH WRITING CONTEST
PO BOX 20887
AMARILLO, TEXAS, 79114
PANHANDLE PROFESSIONAL WRITERS 2010 YOUTH WRITING CONTEST
CONTEST ENTRY FORM
Name_______________________________ Home Address ____________________________
City ______________________ State ____________________ Zip ______________________
Home Phone _________________ Email ___________________________________________
School _____________________________________ Grade _____________ Age __________
Circle category entered (refer to brochure front)
J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 J8 J9
CONTEST AGREEMENT
I submit my entry and agree to be bound by the stated contest rules. I certify that this is my own original work and not
the work of another party. I understand that my entry will be scored based on grammar, spelling, and punctuation as well
as on the submission content. My signature certifies that I have read the rules and agree to be bound by the rules of the
contest. IF UNDER 18 Years of age, my parent or guardian has read the rules and agrees to the conditions and rules. I
understand that my entry cannot be accepted without my signature and my parent or guardian’s signature.
_______________________________________________________ Date _________________________________
Student’s signature
_______________________________________________________ Date ________________________________
Parent or Guardian Signature
This literature was not printed at Amarillo Independent School District (A.I.S.D.) expense. It should not be inferred from
the distribution of this literature that either A.I.S.D. or its personnel support or endorse the opinions or events publicized.
Information contained in the publication was printed at the expense of Panhandle Professional Writers. Distribution of
the publication does not infer the distributor or its personnel support or endorse the event publicized.
SPONSORS: KGNC-AM, CROWN TROPHY, PANHANDLE PROFESSIONAL WRITERS
Panhandle Professional Writers
2010 YOUTH WRITING CONTEST
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