Student Contests

Watch for our upcoming 8th annual . . .

2013/2014 National Student Poetry Contest and
2013/2014 National Student Short-Story Contest

(for Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve)

Deadline:
November 22nd, 2013 (post-marked mail)
November 29th, 2013 (e-mails or faxes)

Each fall we hold two contests, which are open to Canadian students in kindergarten through grade twelve. Over $10,000 is awarded in cash prizes to schools and students who participate!

There is no entry fee and no obligation to purchase anything.

Educators may wish to use one or both of these contests as a project in coordination with their English curriculum or students may enter on their own (though school information must be provided so we can verify they are a student and keep the contest fair). Information packages, including entry forms, are sent to schools across the country in September. Educators may directly request a copy of this information package or a complimentary copy of one of our collections from a previous contest by emailing or calling us to provide the information to the left.

The top group of entrants in each contest (45% or less) will be published in an inexpensive, soft-cover, keepsake collection to be released in early June of each year. Schools that send in at least five entries will automatically receive one free copy of any collection containing their student(s) work. We gave away more than $10,000 worth of these books to schools in our last contest!

Prizes

Bonus prizes: Schools will receive one bonus entry for each student entry they submit.
Each contest:	First Prize (school)	Second Prize (school)	Third Prize (school)
	$500	$250	$125

Every participant will receive a small gift once all of the entries have been short-listed. These gifts will be sent by mid February care of their teachers along with a list of students who have made it through the first round. Students who are short-listed will receive a letter of congratulations and a certificate to their home address, along with a proof sheet of their work by mid February. They will then move forward to the final round of judging to possibly win one of the prizes listed below.

Each contest:	*First Prize*		*Second Prize*		*Third Prize*
	Student	School	Student	School	Student	School
Kindergarten	$80	$80	$40	$40	$20	$20
Grade One	$80	$80	$40	$40	$20	$20
Grade Two	$80	$80	$40	$40	$20	$20
Grade Three	$80	$80	$40	$40	$20	$20
Grade Four	$100	$100	$50	$50	$25	$25
Grade Five	$100	$100	$50	$50	$25	$25
Grade Six	$100	$100	$50	$50	$25	$25
Grade Seven	$120	$120	$60	$60	$30	$30
Grade Eight	$120	$120	$60	$60	$30	$30
Grade Nine	$120	$120	$60	$60	$30	$30
Grade Ten	$140	$140	$70	$70	$35	$35
Grade Eleven	$140	$140	$70	$70	$35	$35
Grade Twelve	$140	$140	$70	$70	$35	$35

All first-, second-, and third-prize winners will receive a free copy of the collection featuring their entry.

Rules

All work must be original and should not have been previously published (online postings should be removed prior to submission).
Please do not submit work already sent to other contests or publications for consideration (aka no simultaneous submissions)
You may enter both contests, but only one entry for each (one poem and one short story).
Poems must be 32 lines or less.
Short stories must be 450 words or less. They should be fiction or fictionalized. (Change the names of real characters and no essays please)!
At this time entries should be in English or accompanied by an English translation.
All entries must be accompanied by an entry form, which has been signed by the student’s parent or guardian. Please click here to download an entry form (pdf format).
Please retain a copy of all work submitted as we are not able to return anything.
Any style or subject is welcome, though we remind students the audience should always be considered and the books will be found in elementary school libraries.

Topic Ideas

If you are having trouble thinking of something to write about, here are some short-story topics you may wish to explore:

Think about life as someone or something else. Try writing from that person’s or thing’s point of view and what you imagine life may be like for them.
Write about your first . . . pet, friend, time at the beach, summer camp. . . .
Give life to a mysterious person. You see a man/woman/child across the street. Why are they there? What is their secret? . . .
You see a scratch on the floor, the broken window across the street, the dent in your dad’s car—how did it get there? Is there a logical explanation or something more fantastic?
Think about a close friend or family member. Take them on an adventure.
Think about fables and fairy tales. Try to create one of your own.
Look at a photograph in a newspaper or magazine. Invent a completely new story to go with it.
Write about funny things that happen when you least expect them.

Here are some poetry topics you may wish to consider:

The seasons.
Family members and their adventures.
Favourite sports or hobbies.
School: homework, subjects, teachers, peers, etc.
Emotions: describe a sad day, a happy day, etc.
Animals: your pets or wild beasts!
An inanimate object’s perspective.
Holidays and other special events.

There are a lot of great web sites out there containing tips on writing, further information on different types of poems, as well as rhyming dictionaries. Below are a few links we recommend to get you started:

Children’s author Corey Green—great advice for writing stories
http://www.coreygreen.com/storytips.html

Scholastic—types of poems
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1605

Rhymezone—rhyming dictionary
http://www.rhymezone.com/

Write Express—rhyming dictionary
http://www.writeexpress.com/online2.html

Ways to Enter

Send entries

by mail:	Polar Expressions Publishing
	PO Box 500 Stn Main
	Maple Ridge BC V2X 3P2

by fax:	604-465-0756

by email*:	[email protected] or [email protected]
	*(To submit via e-mail please open and print an entry form, fill it out completely and sign before sending as an attachment to the e-mail using a scanner or digital camera.)