NJCTE High School Writing Contest 2016
Submission deadline: 11:59 p.m., December 17, 2015. See www.njcte.com for details.
The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English
Invites New Jersey Students in Grades 9-12
to Participate in its 2016 Writing Contest:
“Separated by a Pane of Glass”
2016 Categories
· Poetry (one poem, 50-line max.) –FREE CHOICE
· Short story (5-page max. double-spaced) – FREE CHOICE
· Personal essay* (5-page max., double-spaced) – RESPOND TO PROMPT
*All personal essay submissions must respond to this year’s prompt.
Personal Essay Writing Prompt:
"Have you ever felt like you were on the outside, physically or psychologically? Has an encounter or
conversation with an outsider ever brought clarity to a situation you previously misunderstood? People
on the periphery often see things differently. Write a personal essay, rich with detail, in which you
recapture your experience for your reader.”
How to enter:
1. To enter this year's contest, you MUST first register by completing the entry form found on our website.
2. AFTER YOU REGISTER, e-mail your entry(ies) as an attachment(s) to the writing contest. (See
njcte.com) Each student may submit a maximum of one entry in each category (i.e. only one poem,
one short story and one essay).
3. BE AWARE - Each teacher may submit up to ten entries for their students in each genre. Surplus
entries will be disqualified in order of submission date.
Awards:
 Genre Winners (poetry, short story, personal essay): Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals.
Multiple medals are sometimes awarded.
o Gold medalists are eligible for the Governor’s Awards in Arts Education (GAAE).
o Gold, silver, and bronze poets read at the Dodge Poetry Festival in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
 School/District Winners:
o Honorable Mention: Top scoring students
 From school districts with two schools participating and qualifying entries from
at least 10 different students.
 From single schools with qualifying entries from at least 10 different students
sponsored by at least three different teachers
o Certificates of Merit - Top scoring students
 From schools which submit qualifying entries from three different students
Winners will be notified by e-mail on or after March 15, 2016.
Questions may be directed to Michele Marotta at njctewritingcontest@outlook.com.