Eligibility:
Eighth-grade students in the current academic school year are eligible to be nominated by a school committee or department. It is recommended nominees be decided upon by several teachers. Nominees must demonstrate evidence of effective writing.
Schools in the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands, and American Schools Abroad are eligible to nominate students. Nominating schools must be US accredited.
The number of nominees allowed from each school is determined by the school’s average eighth-grade daily enrollment.
Use the following guide:
- Under 100 1 nominee
- 100–199 2 nominees
- 200–299 3 nominees
- 300–399 4 nominees
- 400–499 5 nominees
- 500 or more 6 nominees
Award Specifics:
Nominated students must submit two writings (best and themed).
- Best Writing – one sample which the student considers her or his best work. The best writing may be in any genre or combination of genres (poetry, narrative, argument, expository). An excerpt from a larger piece of writing by the student is acceptable with a paragraph explaining the piece from which the excerpt was taken. Maximum length for the best writing is six (6) pages. The student’s name and “Best” must appear in the upper left-hand corner of each page.
- Themed Writing – must be written based on the topic developed by the Promising Young Writers Advisory Committee. Maximum length for the theme writing is four (4) pages. The student’s name and “Themed” must appear on the upper left hand corner of each page.
General Directions for Best and Themed Writing:
- One teacher completes one entry form per student and uploads the student’s papers as only one file. The maximum length for the best writing is six (6) pages; the maximum length for the themed writing is four (4) pages.
- The student’s name and “Best” or “Themed” must appear in the upper left-hand corner of each page.
- The page number must appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
- The school’s name must not appear on the paper or within the body of writing.
- Use legible type – no smaller than 11 or 12 point.
- Double space with one inch margins on all sides. This does not apply to poetry.
- Research papers, term papers, and novels will not be accepted.
- Late entries cannot be accepted.
Note to Teachers:
This year’s theme invites eighth-grade writers to explore ways in which they and their communities (e.g., families, friends, school groups, neighborhoods, religious communities, and ethnic communities) have engaged with the challenges of truth and reconciliation. Moreover, this year’s theme encourages eighth-grade writers to attempt to effect truth and reconciliation through writing. We hope that this year’s theme will support teachers’ efforts to facilitate both eighth-grade writers’ inquiries into their values and their experiments with embodying those values in social interactions with others, particularly those interactions mediated by reading and writing. In this way, this year’s theme promotes literacy education for social action and civic responsibility.
Teachers, we invite you to incorporate the Promising Young Writers’ theme and writing prompt into your curriculum. In fact, we hope that “Truth and Reconciliation” is a topic that you will encourage all of your students to address in reading, writing, and discussion activities, as well as in community-service projects beyond the classroom. As support for your work, please consider the literature and teaching resources presented on the NCTE Web site and at the ALAN (Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English) workshop to be held in conjunction with the 2017 NCTE convention in St. Louis, Missouri.
Also, if your state has adopted the Common Core State Standards, it may be helpful to note that nominees for the Promising Young Writers program may choose to write their Theme entry in any genre, including nonfiction writing in History/Social Studies, and Science & Technical Subjects.
While we believe that the Promising Young Writers program may be seamlessly interwoven with your existing literacy curriculum, we urge you also to explicitly welcome—for both the Theme entry and the Best Writing entry—any writing that students may have created outside of your class or even your school
Judging:
Teams of teachers across the nation will judge entries using a secure judging site. Entries with top scores will be selected as superior. Writings are judged holistically on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development, and style.
Awards
Results are announced in May. Students judged for superior writing are awarded a Certificate of Recognition which is provided to the nominating teacher to present to the student. In addition, their name and school’s name appear on the NCTE website. All nominated students receive a Certificate of Participation which is provided to the nominating teacher to present to the student.
2017 Promising Young Writers Theme
For additional information contact pyw@ncte.org.
2018 Award Winners
This year, 130 students were nominated. Of that number, 45 received Certificates of Recognition and 85 received Certificates of Participation. Each student submitted two pieces of writing, which were read by national judges. Papers were judged on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development, and style.
*No Winners
American Schools Abroad*
Canada*
Alabama*
Alaska*
Arkansas*
Colorado*
North Dakota*
Oklahoma*
Rhode Island*
South Carolina*
South Dakota*
2017 Award Winners
This year, 163 students were nominated. Of that number, 67 received Certificates of Recognition and 96 received Certificates of Participation. Each student submitted two pieces of writing, which were read by national judges. Papers were judged on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development, and style.
*No Winners
American Schools Abroad*
Canada*
Alabama*
Alaska*
Arizona*
Arkansas*
Colorado*
North Dakota*
Oklahoma*
Rhode Island*
South Carolina*
South Dakota*
2016 Award Winners
This year, 159 students were nominated. Of that number, 67 received Certificates of Recognition and 92 received Certificates of Participation. Each student submitted two pieces of writing, which were read by national judges. Papers were judged on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development, and style.
*No Winners
North Dakota*
Oklahoma*
Oregon*
Rhode Island*
South Carolina*
South Dakota*
2015 Award Winners
This year, 191 students were nominated. Of that number, 45 received Certificates of Recognition and 146 received Certificates of Participation. Each student submitted two pieces of writing, which were read by national judges. Papers were judged on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development, and style.
*No Winners
Canada*
Alabama*
Alaska*
Arizona*
Arkansas*
Colorado*
North Dakota*
Oklahoma*
Rhode Island*
South Carolina
Tennessee
2014 Award Winners
*No Winners
American Schools Abroad*
Canada*
Alabama*
Alaska*
Arizona*
Arkansas*
Colorado*
North Dakota*
Oklahoma*
Oregon*
Rhode Island*
South Carolina
South Dakota*
Tennessee
2013 Award Winners
*No Winners
Canada*
Alabama*
Alaska*
Arizona*
Arkansas*
Colorado*
North Dakota*
Oklahoma*
Rhode Island*
South Dakota*
2012 Award Winners
*No Winners
North Dakota*
Rhode Island*
South Carolina*
South Dakota*
2011 Award Winners
*No Winners
2010 Award Winners
*No Winners
North Dakota*
Oklahoma*
Rhode Island*