Aspiring Authors Writing Contest
Sponsored by the Southwest Florida Reading Festival
General Contest Information
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Students of any Lee County-based school, grades K-12, are eligible to enter.
Each grade level is judged separately. There is a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner in each category if there are enough excellent
submissions. All winners receive ribbons; this year first, second, and third place winners receive book store gift cards. Five
overall level winners will be chosen as well.
All teachers receive blank participation certificates to complete and distribute to all student writers.
Winners and instructors are recognized at the Southwest Florida Reading Festival at Centennial Park on Saturday, March 19th,
2015. Prizes for those unable to attend are distributed through the entering teacher.
Categories
Each poem is considered a separate entry – maximum of 24 lines each (one page only).
1700 word limit (Word count must be included on last page for middle/high entries)
1000 word limit. (Note: An expository essay is not a memoir. A memoir is a memory, something
the writer has actually experienced and written about in the first person.
(Word count must be included on the last page for middle and high entries)
Submission Guidelines
Failure to adhere exactly to these guidelines will result in DISQUALIFICATION.
Each teacher may send up to 3 entries per category, per class. Each student may enter only one entry per
category, thus a maximum of 3 per student.
Teachers must submit a completed coversheet listing all entries. This allows judges to double check spellings and access
teachers. An Excel file is available. Type into the Excel document provided to you. Teachers are held responsible for
any misspellings. This year, we have added a column for you to total the number of entries and then total the
number of certificates.
No entries will be accepted that have been previously entered in the LCTE contest.
Elementary entries may be neatly written or typed. NO DICTATION will be accepted from grades K-2; if a K-2 writing
is typed by an adult, please attach the child’s original hand-written version. NO ART WORK LARGER THAN 8-1/2 x
11 can accompany writings.
Middle and high school entries MUST be typed in 12 point font (Times New Roman or Arial) and must be double
spaced (unless they are poetry, which may be single spaced and doubled between stanzas).
Please be aware all winning entries will be screened for plagiarism using turnitin.com or a similar program to
screen. If you use a mentor text to model your writing, please reference the original author. Depending on the grade, this
may affect originality and creativity scores. **Teachers, use your best judgement here. Sometimes a mentor text is
appropriate at the primary level, but may border on plagiarism in upper grades. When in doubt, always cite the original
author.
Every entry must have a UNIQUE title. Class assignments are acceptable, but each entry must have a different title.
Only one entry may be submitted per page; only one writer may submit a given entry.
Entry must not include any profanity.
Papers will NOT be returned. Keep a copy.
An entry ticket including a signed parental consent form must be attached to each entry with ONE staple –no tape. Any
illegible entry forms will be disqualified. There should be NO STUDENT, SCHOOL, OR TEACHER NAME on the
writing itself.
Teachers must also sign this form. You are stating that is the child’s work and that you have given a minimal amount of
help.
Each school entering papers will be asked to provide at least one judge to represent their school. Judging
representatives should be based on the number of entries. Dates and times of judging are below.
Entries must be sent to the person in charge of grade level by Wednesday February, 17th 2016. Entries must be put in
the mail early to allow time for delivery. No late entries will be judged.
Poetry –
Fiction –
Personal Memoir –
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Level
Grade Level Chairs and Schools: Please send entries to
the representatives below in charge of your grade level.
Judging
Dates
Judging
Times
Judging Locations
K-2
Michelle Molloy – Gulf Elem.& Bridget Amico- Dodig- Pine Island
2/25
4:00-7:00
Gulf Elementary (media center)
3-5
Jean Fulbrook – Gulf Elem. & Vanessa York – Caloosa Elem.
2/25
4:00-7:00
Gulf Elementary (media center)
6-8
Jennifer Burrows and Gretchen Tindale Oak hammock Middle
2/24
4:30
Oak Hammock Middle (media center)
9-12
Kim Jones – Ft. Myers High Jennifer Tomlinson – Ft. Myers High
2/23
2:30
Ft. Myers High (media center)
Aspiring Authors Awards 2015-2016 Entry Form due Feb. 17th
Please NEATLY print or type all information except honor signature.
Name__________________________________________________
Grade_____
Category (Check one)
Personal Memoir _____
Poetry _____
Fiction _____
Title of Writing _______________________________________________________________________
School _______________Class Period ______ Teacher_____ ______________ ________________
Title
First Name
Last Name
Student Honor Signature – This is my original work. ________________________________________
Teacher Honor Signature_______________________________________________________________
* Teacher signature verifies that this work was written as a class assignment or clearly matches the student’s
writing style, with no possibility of plagiarism (If teacher is in doubt, entry should be “googled.”). Signature also
verifies that the teacher has given a minimal amount of aid and that this work was not entered by another teacher
in a previous year.
Consent and Release Form
I, the lawful parent or guardian of ______________________, a minor, hereby grant permission for my child’s
writing (if a winner) to be publically displayed and for my child’s photograph to be taken at the Aspiring Authors’
Awards Ceremony sponsored by the Lee County Library System.
Parent or Guardian Signature ___________________________________
Aspiring Authors Awards 2015-2016 Entry Form due Feb. 17th
Please NEATLY print or type all information except honor signature.
Name__________________________________________________
Grade_____
Category (Check one)
Personal Memoir _____
Poetry _____
Fiction _____
Title of Writing _______________________________________________________________________
School _______________Class Period ______ Teacher_____ ______________ ________________
Title
First Name
Last Name
Student Honor Signature – This is my original work. ________________________________________
Teacher Honor Signature_______________________________________________________________
* Teacher signature verifies that this work was written as a class assignment or clearly matches the student’s
writing style, with no possibility of plagiarism (If teacher is in doubt, entry should be “googled.”).. Signature also
verifies that the teacher has given a minimal amount of aid and that this work was not entered by another teacher
in a previous year.
Consent and Release Form
I, the lawful parent or guardian of ______________________, a minor, hereby grant permission for my child’s
writing (if a winner) to be publically displayed and for my child’s photograph to be taken at the Aspiring Authors’
Awards Ceremony sponsored by the Lee County Library System.
Parent or Guardian Signature ___________________________________
Teacher Coversheet 2015-2016
Student
Last Name
Doe
First Name
Jane
Teacher's Name __________________
School________________________
TOTAL # of ENTRIES: ____________ # of Certificates Needed: ___________
(1 per student)
Check entry category
Grade Period Poetry Fiction Memoir
10
3
x
Use a separate line for each work.
Title
A Brilliant Title