The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English invites high school students to submit to their annual writing contest. Gold medalists will automatically be entered into consideration for the prestigious Governor’s Award in Arts Education. This year, all personal essay submissions must respond to the prompt “Hindsight”:
Hindsight is understanding a situation or event only after it has happened or developed. In life, as in literature, hindsight might lead to happiness or success. Write a personal essay about hindsight. This may be about your own hindsight or vision that someone had about you or for you. What led to the discovery of the importance of hindsight? How has hindsight affected your life? Try to steer away from general observations. Describe a concrete experience and reflect on how hindsight hurt or helped you.
Students may submit one entry per category and must by sponsored by a teacher. Teachers may sponsor up to 10 students per category. Please contact Flannery James (fjames@newarka.edu) before submitting to avoid disqualification!
DEADLINE: December 6, 2019
WHAT TO SUBMIT: poetry (one poem, up to 50 lines), fiction (one story, up to 5 pages), nonfiction (one personal essay, up to five pages, on the theme “Hindsight”)
WHO CAN SUBMIT: New Jersey high school students
HOW TO SUBMIT: online; email Flannery James (fjames@newarka.edu) first