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May 2013 National Writing Contest: Share a Special Memory of Your Mom, Grandmother, or Important Woman in Your Life?
Writing Contest Details: It's May, and we're honoring Moms and Grandmothers this month. So we're asking students to take ten minutes to respond to our writing prompt: "Share a Special Memory of Your Mother or Grandmother."
Simple. Yet Powerful.
We want to hear a special memory about an important woman in your life. Get details and enter the FREE Stage of Life national writing contest to share your voice with the world...
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April 2013 National Writing Contest: What Current National or International News Story Do You Think More Teens and College Students Should Care About, and Why?
Writing Contest Details: There is a LOT going on in the news. For instance, the day we posted this April 2013 monthly writing contest, we saw headlines for news stories on the following topics...
Nuclear armed North Korea's aggressive militaristic talk, North Dakota passes most restrictive abortion bill in US history, US Supreme Court debates gay marriage, Cyprus Banks and Economic issues in the Euro Zone, Pope includes women for first time in Holy Thursday rite, US Senate group resolves key immigration issues to move ahead with overhaul of US immigration policy, China's losing battle against polluters, Obama makes impassioned plea for gun control legislation, NCAA Basketball Tournament enters Final 4, Obamacare...and many others.
Keeping these news headlines (and others you may have recently read, seen, or heard in mind), our question this month was..."What current news story or event should teens and college students care about...and why?"
THIS CONTEST IS BEING JUDGED
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March 2013 National Writing Contest: When have you applied the phrase "No Fear" in your life?
Writing Contest Details: Every teenager or college students has fears. Some are things you can touch, like snakes. Some are situations you want to avoid, like public speaking or test taking. Some come from childhood stories, like ghosts or monsters. And some fears are things that unfortunately find us, like terrorism, natural disasters, or cancer.
However, we can't live in the shadows of our fears everyday. To do so would dishonor the act of living.
So this month, the Stage of Life national writing contest prompt is simple: "As a teen or college student, how have you applied the phrase "No Fear" in your life?"
THIS CONTEST IS BEING JUDGED BUT WILL BE POSTED SOON
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February 2013 National Writing Contest: Why Can't You Turn Away From Your Favorite TV Show?
Writing Contest Details: It's winter, and we're in the middle of a new season of TV programming (as most of you know who have been fervently waiting for your favorite shows to begin again).
For good or bad, people everywhere are spending more time indoors right now, plopped down in front of the warm glow of their favorite television shows. Glee. Breaking Bad. Mad Men. The Bachelor. The Super Bowl. American Idol. Boardwalk Empire. Nashville. Survivor. Downton Abby. Homeland. Modern Family. And the list goes on.
Whether you love Golden Globe nominated TV programming found on the cable channels or the popular reality TV series found on all of the major networks, we want to know what one TV show makes you stop in your tracks, put on your cozy clothes, and jump up on the couch for 30-60 minutes of "me" time.
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January 2013 National Writing Contest: Where do we go after Newtown?
Writing Contest Details: What solutions, if any, would you propose to Congress, parents, school officials, gun advocacy groups, or the NRA after the tragic event in Newtown this last December?
Or, on a more emotional level, how do you simply feel about this event and what changes, if any, did it make in you?
And for everyone...where do we go from here??
View our Writing Contest Summary on Teens and Guns.
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December 2012 Writing Contest: How will you be the change in 2013?
Writing Contest Details: In looking towards 2013, we want to hear how you will "be the change." This open-ended writing contest question can be addressed in a 500-word essay in one of three ways:
1. On a philosophical level, what needs to be changed in 2013 in your community, city, state, country or the world?
2. Or...on a personal level, what will you do to make a change in yourself in 2013?
3. Or...how have you already helped change the world and how can you spread your message to others in 2013?
As a part of this month's topic, we're also asking teens in our national survey how they feel about one very important "change" topic...body image.
View Summary Report: Teens and Body Image - Be the Change
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November 2012 Writing Contest: What was the most inspirational or important book you've ever read?
Writing Contest Details: After years of asking teens to submit personal, inspirational essays about everything from their favorite songs to their favorite movies, surprisingly, we never asked students to write an essay about their favorite book.
For those of you familiar with StageofLife.com, you know we're one of the nation's leading digital literacy initiatives. So it's about time we celebrate one of the foundations of literacy itself... books!
We're asking high school and college students to share a 500 word essay about their favorite book and how and why it made an impact on their life.
View Summary Report: Teens and Books
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October 2012: SPORTS & FAMILY - How have sports positively (or negatively) shaped traditions in your family?
Writing Contest Details: The month of October is rife with professional sports. The World Series is played this month, along with college football, NFL football, NASCAR and NHL hockey seasons all being in full swing...not to mention the NBA basketball season starting too.
This led us to wonder how sports (American or International) play a role in forming family traditions (positively or negatively), so we're asking high school and college students to share a 500 word essay about the impact of sports as it relates to their family traditions.
View Summary Report: Teens and Sports
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September 2012: POLITICS & PASSION - Share a story about what one political issue is most important to you in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election.
Writing Contest Details: With the U.S. presidential election coming up in November, our student writing contest this month asks teens and college students to share a personal essay on the current state of the union, and in particular, what one issue is the most important topic for you in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election.
We call this important issue your "passion issue."
Other components of the writing prompt also ask you to share if your parents' political viewpoints have made an impact on yours and which Presidential Candidate is best suited to make the lives of teens and college students better over the next four years.
View Summary Report: Teens and Politics
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July & August 2012: MUSIC - Share a story of a song that played an important role during a unique time in your life.
Writing Contest Details: Music plays an integral role in our lives. There was the song that was playing in the background during that last slow dance on your first prom. The song you listened to over and over after your first break-up. Or the song you and your friends belted out at the top of your lungs one summer night around a campfire.
We all have stories tied to songs that have become a part of who we are, thanks to those songs playing in the background during key moments and milestones of our lives.
For our July and August writing contest, we want you to share a 300-500 word essay about how a particular song impacted you during an important time in your life.
View Summary Report: Teens and Music
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June 2012: NATURE - How has nature inspired you?
Writing Contest Details: With summer upon us, students will find themselves out of school...and outside! Or...will they?
According to Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, today's children (and adults) are deprived of a basic necessity we have as humans...to connect with the outdoors. Louv labels this phenomenon (that many saw happening but couldn't quite articulate): "nature-deficit disorder."
Between jobs, Facebook, online gaming, or bad weather, many teens will forgo opportunities to feel the grass beneath their toes, to breath in a summer breeze, to let sun touch their skin, and to otherwise connect with the planet around them.
But we know that can't be the case for everyone...can it? Are we all experiencing nature-deficit?
How has nature inspired you?
View Summary Report: Teens and Nature
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May 2012: TEEN PREGNANCY - What do you attribute to the decline of teen pregnancies?
Writing Contest Details: According to the latest teen pregnancy statistics from the CDC, U.S. teen birth rates are at an all time low. But the last report still showed a total of 367,752 babies were born to teen girls aged 15–19. In honor of May being National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, we want to hear from teens and college students about why they think teen pregnancies are dropping.
What's the reason? What's happening at your school or with your friends or in your community
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: Teen Pregnancy Prevention
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April 2012: MOVIES - What movie has made the biggest difference in your life?
Writing Contest Details: In honor of the hottest student movie ticket in town right now, "The Hunger Games" (based off the YA fiction novel of the same title by Suzanne Collins), we wanted to find out what films speak to teens and college students.
Which movies inspire you?
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: Teens and Movies
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March 2012: POETRY - Dedicate a Poem to Someone Who Matters
Writing Contest Details: In preparation for April’s National Poetry Writing Month, we are asking teens and college students to write a poem in dedication to someone who matters in their life. Whether it is a family member, friend, teacher, celebrity or kind stranger, write an original poem about what that person means to you.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: Teen Poems
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February 2012: LOVE - What's Your Definition of Love?
Writing Contest Details: Teens and college students find themselves in an on-going dance as they court, woo, avoid, or try to win the romantic affections or attention of someone they like, admire...love.
Consider these famous quotes about love...
- "If you have it [love], you don't need to have anything else. If you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have" --James M Barrie
- "All we need is love." --John Lennon
- "Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning, unquenchable." --Henry Ward Beecher
- "Love is like pi -- natural, irrational, and very important." --Lisa Hoffman
- "For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. I can live without money, but I cannot live without love." --Judy Garland
- "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love." --Albert Einstein
- "If you can't be with one you love, love the one you're with." --Stephen Stills
It goes without saying that love can be either the happiest emotion or most tragic. Just look at your parents. Your grandparents. Romeo and Juliet. Or Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. From happy to tragic to absurd, love runs the gamut. But these platitudes are all relative, because love will always be different for everyone. How can we pin down a definition of love?
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what teens think of love...
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January 2012: Person to Watch in 2012?
Writing Contest Details: Last month, TIME magazine named "The Protestor" their Person of the Year for 2011. That got us thinking...okay, but who is the person to watch in 2012?
So, in looking back at the last 12 months and considering the future, who would you nominate as the Person to Watch for 2012, and why?
Whether it's a celebrity, an innovator, a politician, a cultural icon, an up-and-coming artist, a rising star or someone more personal in your life, we want to hear, in 500 words or less, who your Person to Watch for 2012 would be.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See who teens chose as the Person to Watch in 2012
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November & December 2011: AWARENESS - What issue or cause should receive its own "awareness" month?
- "There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” -Winston Churchill
- “The time is always right to do what is right.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Mohatma Ghandi
Details: We saw NFL players wearing pink throughout October in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month. We will pay tribute to the role of African-Americans throughout February during Black History month. Now think about the topics on which you're passionate, and share your thoughts on a single issue or cause that should receive its own awareness month.
In your essay, please creatively tell us...
- Is this a local, regional, national, international or planetary issue?
- Why is this issue important?
- Who does the issue impact?
- How could the message be spread?
- Are there any organizations, companies or blogs currently trying to make a difference to increase awareness on this issue?
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what teens wrote about awareness
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October 2011: TRUST & SAFETY - Do you trust our institutions to keep us safe?
Details: As we look ahead to Halloween, there are scarier things than ghosts and goblins in the lives of today's teenagers and college students.
For instance, from a historical perspective, Baby Boomers grew up living under the threat of nuclear Armageddon, complete with classroom drills to hide under their desks in the case of nuclear attack. However, today's teenagers and college students have been growing up in their own unique time:
- The threat of internet predators, cyber-bullying, and other online dangers.
- The threat of school shootings and lock-downs.
- The threat of terrorism.
How do you, as a student, feel about these threats, and do you have trust in your parents, school or government (the major institutions around you) to keep you safe?
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what teens wrote about trust and safety
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September 2011: EDUCATION - Teacher Appreciation essays
Details: It's the big back in school month. You're either loving it, hating it, or experiencing a mixture of both. In fact, some of you may already be waiting for final bell to ring (even if it's only 9:45am). However, no matter how this year is starting out (good or bad), we know that there have been certain teachers and classes in the past that stand out in your mind...
This month, think back to a favorite class or educator (teacher/coach/director/principal). Whether it was their attitude, the way they taught, or a life lesson you learned from their class/sport/activity, how did this person make a positive impact in your life?
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what teens wrote about their teachers.
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August 2011: SELF-REFLECTION - Letter to Me
Details: We want you to write a letter to yourself. Yes, you heard us...a letter to yourself. Take 15 minutes, alone, and spend some time thinking about the upcoming school year. Think about the things you want to accomplish. The things you fear. Think about where you've been and where you're going. Think about how your summer has been going. What are you looking forward to? What are you dreading about the return to school? Think about your goals. Think about if you're looking to make a big change this year...or simply survive?
After all of that thinking, now write a "Letter to Me." This is a letter addressed to yourself. Tackle some of the topics we've outlined above...or get creative and come up with your own original angle for the letter.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what teens had to write to themselves in our "Letter Me" writing prompt
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July 2011: BULLYING - Have you ever been bullied, teased, or picked on? If so, about what?
Details: Whatever you want to call it, bullying is a problem in many schools and continues to be a hot topic in the national press. We've know many students experienced some form of bullying during high school.
Our writing contest question this month asks teens and college students to share their stories about being bullied or about being the bully. The student is then asked to write a short essay about that experience.
Were you once a bully who regrets it now? Share your experiences with us and help prevent students from bullying others.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what teens shared about being bullied.
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June 2011: PARENTS - What is one thing you don't know about your Mother or Father?
Teen Trends: How well do teens really know their parents?
Our writing contest question this month asks teens and college students to interview their parents and ask them to share ONE thing about themselves their son/daughter doesn't already know. The student is then asked to write a short essay about that experience.
Did you learn something that shaped the way you think about your parent? We call this contest the "Parent Paradigm Shift."
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what teens learned about their parents...
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May 2011: OBSTACLES - What was the most difficult thing you overcame this school year?
Teen Trends: What major obstacles stood in the way this school year?
From friends to family to graduation to grades to self esteem, teens go through a lot in a school year. Tell us about one area or experience that caused you the most trouble, but that you were eventually able to overcome.
Help inspire another high school student to gain some courage to tackle or navigate their problem by sharing your experience.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See what challenges teenagers face today...
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April 2011: PROM - Is prom a positive or negative teen tradition?
Teen Trends: How do teens feel about prom?
Going to prom is a high school milestone, and prom traditions have been around for decades. Dresses. Dinner. DJ's. Dancing. For most teenagers, it's about celebrating life with friends and/or a significant other. However, we've all heard the "negative" aspects often associated with prom too. Drinking. Drugs. DUI's. Damaged self-esteem. Date rape. So we want to know - is prom a positive or negative milestone.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See how teens feel about prom...
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March 2011: MEDIA - What form of media impacts your life the most, and why?
Teen Trends: How do teens feel about the media?
The "media" is an undeniably powerful entity in our daily lives, and even more invasive for teens and college students, a generation growing up with more forms of media choices than any other generation before them.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See how teens feel about the media...
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February 2011: MARRIAGE - What is the value of marriage?
Teen Trends: How do teens feel about marriage?
This contest came out in February 2011. The month of love. Valentine's Day sits right in the middle of this month and helps (or in some cases forces) all of us to pay homage to the idea of romance...love. We got little controversial this month and asked teens to share their point of view on marriage.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See how teens feel about marriage...
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January 2011: MAKE A DIFFERENCE - What organization, company, non-profit or 'cause' will help make the world a better place?
Teen Trends: How do teens want to better the world?
Our mission on StageofLife.com is to help change the world, one story at a time. What a better way to do that than to ask teens and college students about worthwhile causes we should all know about. This was an opportunity for teens to shed light and share with us their favorite non-profit, company, organization or 'cause' that could help make the world a better place.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See how teens feel about making the world a better place...
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December 2010: MONEY - What is your relationship with money? How do you spend (or save)...and why?
Teen Trends: How do teens feel about money?
Money....Cash. Coin. Greenbacks. Pesos. Gravy. Deniro. KaChing. Moola. So we're curious...how do teens and college students feel about money? Whether the student knew a homeless teen or has a friend living in the penthouse, we wanted to know about their relationship with the almighty dollar.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See how teens feel about money...
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November 2010: GIVING THANKS - What are you most thankful for?
Teen Trends: What are teens grateful for?
This writing contest rolled out in November 2010. We all get busy during the day-to-day routine of our lives, but it's important to stop once in while and reflect on what matters most, and to give thanks for that. Keeping that in mind, we wanted to hear from teens about who or what, in their lives right now, should receive public acknowledgment of their thanks.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See for who and what teens are thankful...
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October 2010: TEEN STRESS - What stresses you out, and how do you cope with that stress?
Teen Trends: How do students deal with stress?
From classes to homework to jobs to extra curricular activities to social outings, teens and college students are maintaining hectic schedules. Add on top of that any current relationship hardships, social issues, e.g. bullying, illnesses or other personal problems and it's not surprising that many young people feel...stressed.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See how teens deal with stress...
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September 2010: HEROES - Who is your hero?
Teen Trends: Who would a teenager name as their hero?
We wanted to talk about heroes, both big and small, with high school and college students. We asked teens to name their hero, it could be a family member, someone famous, or an everyday person in their lives who is quietly making a difference, and then write a 500 word essay about that hero. You'll love these responses.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See who teens nominated as their heroes...
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August 2010: EDUCATION - What suggestion(s) do you have to make a positive change at your school or with the educational system as a whole?
Teen Trends: How would teens improve education?
We wanted to know how students were perceiving their educations, educational environments at their high schools, colleges and universities and the overall trends in education. We asked the teens for ideas on how to improve the educational environment.
VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: See how teens would improve the educational system...
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July 2010: FOOD - Do we have an obligation to take better care of ourselves by making changes in the way we eat and/or buy and consume food?
Teen Trends: How do teens feel about food, obesity and nutrition?
TV shows like NBC's Biggest Loser are big hits and books like Michael Pollan's Food Rules are flying off the shelves. Even film documentaries like Food, Inc. and Super Size Me have pushed into the mainstream consciousness. It goes without saying a tipping point is occurring in our society's awareness in regards to people's relationship with food. Obesity in America is reaching an epidemic...but are people ready or really willing to change? Is our addiction to unhealthy food too hard to break?
See how teens feel about food, obesity and nutrition...[this summary report is being pulled from the essay archive for posting here soon]
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June 2010: COLLEGE - What is the most difficult thing (for you) about college?
Teen Trends: How do teens feel about college?
We want to know what's making the college process or college itself difficult and why. Financial aid? Application process? Juggling classes and work? What is making college difficult? This contest was held in partnership with "Take America to College" initiative.
See how teens feel about college...[this summary report is being pulled from the essay archive for posting here soon]
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May 2010: ENVIRONMENT - What is one behavior you can either change or incorporate into your daily life that will reduce our negative impact on the environment?
Teen Trends: How do teens feel about the environment?
The negative environmental impact and tragedy of lives lost from the BP off-shore oil rig disaster was obvious. What we wanted from our high school and college students entering this month's writing contest was not their outrage about how this could have happened, but rather, share one solution (big or small) that can help combat man's ever-reaching environmental impact.
See how teens feel about helping the environment...[this summary report is being pulled from the essay archive for posting here soon]
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