Bookstock Competition -- UPDATE
YWP writers,
We had many submissions -- 200+ -- to the Bookstock Writing Contest in which YWP partnered. What was remarkable was the high quality of all the entries. We know that some schools participated and there was a pre-selection process and only a few entries were submitted from each class. This is both nice for the contest and difficult -- it was hard to make the choices.
I made the preliminary selections, sending 54 entries to the final judge, writer Sarah Stewart Taylor, a writer from Windsor. She has chosen five writers for the top prizes of $100 and three for honorable mentions ($25).
Bookstock, a festival of writing and books to be held in Woodstock on July 31, is the actual sponsor of the contest and is in the process of contacting the winners. For those of you who were not selected, don't be discouraged. Some of your work will be published this fall and there will be other contests. Believe me. Those of you who are selected, you will have an opportunity to read all or part of your pieces at the event, and your work will be published in a special insert in The Valley News.
For more about the festival, go to: http://www.bookstockvt.org
Thanks to all of you. We will post links to the students' whose work was selected in the next few weeks.
gg
The prompt for the YWP/Bookstock competition:
"Write a story, poem or essay about a vivid memory or experience involving a building – real or imagined. The piece also can use a building as a character or a setting that is a key part of the plot, mood or theme. Students can also combine real and imaginary by filling gaps in a real memory with fictional details to round out the story. There is a 750-word length limit but no age limit and no fee. Submit here by creating a Newspaper Entry and choosing the "Building(Bookstock) prompt. To read some of the entries, click here.
Selections were based on quality of work -- clarity, freshness and power. Judges will take into account the writer's age and geographic location. Due to the volume, only students selected for prizes will be notified of selections.
David Macaulay, of Norwich VT, the keynote speaker of Bookstock 2010, created the theme.
- ggevalt's blog
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Wow, this sounds like a lot
Wow, this sounds like a lot of fun! What does it mean by building, though? Is it as in figuratively, or literally?
[§ambo]
sambo...
"real or imagined" ... I would say that you can interpret that the way you want, but I would lean towards more literal...
gg
Can our story/essay/poem be
Can our story/essay/poem be fiction?
yes...
your story can be real or imagined, non-fiction or fiction or a combination of both.
cheerio
gg
Story competion
Does the story need to consist of a building which the author knew of throughout their life? Can we make up characters?
camcurtiss...
you can make up the building, make up the characters, draw from real experience or mix it up... have fun...
gg
Story
Is it alright if I use absene language within my story?
camcurtiss...
Intriguing question...
First, how do you know you need it?
Second, I think not on this one. Winners will be asked to read their piece (if they want) at a public gathering, so my guess is that they won't want obscenities...
cheers
gg
GG,
Is it okay to publish this on our blog before actually submitting it in order to receive feedback?
[§ambo]
Sambo
Sure, that's fine.
lm
Story Competition
Does this building need to have an active part throughout the story?
Cam...
It should be an important element and focus in the story.
gg
So the Hunger Mountain
So the Hunger Mountain Collage thing is just for High School students?
-FrogGirl
Maybe it was an obvious
Maybe it was an obvious question, i don't know, i just wasn't
clear.
-FrogGirl
FrogGirl...
I just looked at the Hunger Mountain website, and they said that seventh and eighth graders can also submit, it's just that there isn't going to be a separate category, so they'll be competing against high schoolers.
~Titania
An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all. ~Oscar Wilde
To verify Titania's point...
... here is the response from the Hunger Mountain Folks:
"We will accept entries from younger students, as long as the students realize they’ll be competing against high school age students! So in other words, there won’t be a seperate category for middle school students."
—Miciah Bay Gault, Hunger Mountain managing editor
:D
Sweet!!!!
Ahhh, the rewards of being a writer...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Out across cities I see buildings burn into piles-
and watch the world in wonder, as mountains turn into tiles-
and trees losing their leaves and their faces becoming tired.
I wish I could discover something that doesn't expire.
GG -
In regard to the Hunger Mountain contest -does "previously unpublished" mean I can't submit anything that I ever posted on YWP?
___________________________________________
"The opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation."
nonnie...
I actually don't know. It's not our contest. I would guess, though, that it is referring to something having been published in the newspaper. I think you're fine with something that you've posted here as a blog...
gg
$100.00!!!!!! That is such a
$100.00!!!!!!
That is such a great oppertunity!
- Mugzydoodle
good luck...
...mugzy
gg
I entered in this, and I
I entered in this, and I really am hoping to win. Although, competing against high schoolers is a bit of a snag in the situation. Since I've heard that news I'm not hoping to win. Nothing is impossible, I know. But I think with my skills in writing (which there aren't many) there's a slim chance of winning (for me).
Although, I think this is definitely a fun opportunity and entering competitions is really exciting and lots of fun. But GG, I think it would be cool to have a writing contest just between seventh and eighth graders. Just a thought. Anyways, fun and exciting. Glad there's something like this to participate in. Hope there's another one soon.
From Emilie
Hunger Mtn.
If you're talking about Hunger mountain I entered it too, and am also hoping to win, what genre did you enter?
Fictional???
Can the piece for this contest be entirely fictional or does it need to be based in reality? Thanks!
Any other winners
is it possible to find out who else won and read their piesces
how do you
how do u know who won, is there a list???
re: winners
I'm pretty sure only the winners are notified. I believe that's what it says above, at least.
-No day but today-
Winners
well there's five hundred dollar winners and three 25 dollar runner ups. i won a hundred so theres seven winners left i just want to read everyone elses piece i read some of the submissions and they're really good. Good luck the other seven
Congrats!
I read your piece and it made mine look like a pile of junk, good job!
What was your piece? I was
What was your piece? I was one of the five too. Congratulations.
S. Miller
When?
When will we be notified?