Student Writing Contest Question:  Who is your hero?

Essay Title:   When submitting your story, please title your essay as follows "My Hero is [insert your Hero's name]"

Contest Deadline:  September 31, 2010

Winner:  Announced on this page after Oct. 7, 2010

Prizes:  $25 gift card to Shutterfly.com, Stage of Life SWAG (T-Shirt and Pen), and Featured Writer status on the website.

Background:  In uncertain times such as these (our nation at war in Afghanistan, a poor economy, horrible housing statistics, etc.), we feel it's a time to talk about heros, both big and small. 

Your hero may be someone close to you...a family member that inspires you daily.  Or maybe it's someone more famous, in the public spotlight, that's working to champion a cause you feel passionate about too. 

Whichever the situation, there are people around you that inspire you for one reason or another.  Tell us about one of your heros, in 500 or words or less.  Who is this person and why do you consider them a hero?  Your story may just inspire someone else.

Comments:  In the espirit of this writing contest, we'd like to encourage all participants and readers to make comments on these contest essays.  Please just remember to keep all comments/posts/discussions civil and in good taste in each of the blog threads.

Good luck!

Students share their thoughts on how to improve education...

Student Writing Contest Question: "What suggestion(s) do you have to make a positive change at your school or with the educational system as a whole?"

Essay Title:   "Improve Education - [insert you title]"

Contest Deadline:  August 31, 2010.  THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.

Winner:  Announced on this page after Sept. 7, 2010

Prizes:  $25 gift card to Shutterfly.com, Stage of Life SWAG (T-Shirt and Pen), and Featured Writer status on the website.

Background:  This monthly contest question is openly broad.   It's Back to School time, and we want to know how students are preceiving their educations, educational environments at their high schools, colleges and universities and the overall trends in education.  For instance...

• Have you noticed a lack of something at your school? 
• Does there seem to be a heavy focus on one area and a complete lack of focus in another?  
• Have you noticed a trend that's been bothering you in regards to the overall study body at your school or on campus? 
• Have you wanted to institute a new policy, program or endeaveur at your school or campus because of a larger need that's going unfillfilled? 
• Have you and your friends talked about something at school that should be different or changed?

Or...on a more positive note...

• Maybe you're currently a part of something at your school or college that is incredibly inspiring? 
• Maybe there are programs at your school or campus that have produced a positive change with the student body? 
• Maybe you have a teacher that's doing something out of the ordinary and it's making a difference with the local community?

Whether you have an idea on how to improve the educational environment or you've seen one in action...we want to hear your thoughts about how we can improve the educational system.  This can be a small suggestion or a large idea, but we know that high school and college students have at least one or two ideas on things in education that need to be improved.

Plus, your comments, ideas and observations may just inspire another student, teacher, professor, or educator to put positive change in effect.

Tip:  As part of your essay contest entry, consider looking over the Back to School Fast Facts from the IES - National Center for Education Statistics, or check out the GetSchooled.com website.  It is not mandatory that you quote from these sources in your essay, but it may give you an idea for a unique angle, or at the very least, the size and scope in which the institution of education plays in our society.

Comments:  In the espirit of this writing contest, we'd like to encourage all participants and readers to make comments on these contest essays, please just remember to keep all comments/posts/discussions civil and in good taste in each of the blog threads.

Good luck!

Students share thoughts on their relationship with food...

Student Writing Contest Question: "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?"

Winner:  Necessity or Excuse?

Finalists:

• Whole Wheat World
• How to Save Our Future
• America's Choice
• An Expert's Advice

Essay Title:  "Food - [insert you title]"
As part of your contest essay, we'd like to hear if you envision a solution to any potential problems with our food industry.  Also...consider looking over these resources below.  It is not mandatory that you quote from these sources in your essay, but it may give you an idea for a unique angle, interesting food statistic or perspective from which to approach this month's writing contest theme.

• Food, Inc.
• Laura Jayne's Blog
• Take Part's Food Blog
• Eat Well
• Eat Wild
• Food Routes

Background:  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 occuring 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?

Consider these food statistics as you write your essay:

• 32% of US children are overweight - increase that to 48% for some areas like Washington DC and Kentucky.  [Source: Journal of the American Medical Association].
• Four of the top ten killers in America are chronic diseases linked to the "western diet", a diet high in processed foods and meat, lots of fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, and very low consumption of fruits, veggies and whole grains [Source:  Pollan's Food Rules].
• Portion Sizes have exploded and consumption of good foods has shifted.  For instance, in the 1950's, students drank 3 cups of milk to every cup of soda.  That ratio is reversed today.  And an average of 3,800 caleries per day are available to every American, but adults only need 2,350 to survive. [Source: statistics in TIME Magazine's cover story - June 23, 2008].
• In communities hardest hit by obesity, families have little access to affordable, healthy food, e.g. no grocery stores, farmer's markets or other vendors selling fresh produce and we are now in danger of raising the first generation of American children who will live sicker and die younger than their parents' generation [Source:  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation].

Contest Deadline:  This contest ended July 31, 2010.  Scroll up to see current contest.

Students Share Thoughts on College...

Contest Question: "What is the most difficult thing (for you) about college?"

Winner:  We Don't All Reach Our Goals

High School Finalists:

• Money Is Scarce
• I Am Competing Against Friends
• What are you scared most about college?

College Finalists:

• So Many Ideas, So Little Time
• You Have to Make Decisions

Essay Title:  College is Difficult Because:  [insert you title]
As part of your contest essay, we'd like to hear if you envision a solution (personal, governmental, economic, etc.) to making what's currently difficult about college a little bit easier.

Background:  Whether you are in high school or currently in 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? So what is making college difficult?

We ask this because:

• Most students who start college don't finish.
• 3 out of 4 students going to college don't fit the traditional model.
• Only 56% of students attending a four-year college graduate in six years or less.

As part of your entry, please watch the most recent "Degrees of Difficulty" video clip hosted by USA Today.  This is a video series developed in conjunction with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their "Take American to College" initiative.

Please reference thoughts, reactions, or something you learned from the Degrees of Difficulty series in your essay entry.

Contest Deadline:  This contest ended June 30, 2010.  Scroll up to see current contest.

Students Share Thoughts on Gulf Oil Spill...

Contest Question: "What is one behavior you can either change or incorporate into your daily life that will reduce our negative impact on the environment?

Winner:  Preserving Nature's Splendor

High School Finalists:

• Carpool and Walk to Alleviate Environmental Stress
• Spreading the Word
• Preserving Nature's Splendor
• Promoting Waste Management

College Finalists:

• Litter
• Efficient use of Electricity

Essay Title:  "Oil Spill:  [insert title]"

Background:  The negative environmental impact and tragedy of lives lost from the recent BP off-shore oil rig disaster is obvious.  What we want from our high school and college students entering this month's writing contest is not your 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.

Contest Deadline:  This contest ended May 31, 2010.  Scroll up to see current contest.

Young Adult Writing Contest Topic:  Money:  If you had $1 million dollars, how would you use it?" Our last two teen and college writing contest topics dealt with heavier topics, i.e. policy change and naming the last decade, so for April, we're picking a question that is no less "deep," but it's one that's probably crossed most of your minds.  We want your realistic response too.  Honestly, as a high school or college student, what would you do with $1 million dollars? We want to know. And we have a feeling others will be curious to read your response to this question too.  Please title your story/essay: "$1 Million Dollars:  [insert your policy]." Be creative with this and get specific.  Have fun!   Credit:  We would like to thank the senior high Journalism students at Red Lion Area School District in Red Lion, PA for submitting this month's writing contest topic.

This Contest Has Ended     Winners: "Agriculture, Education, Charity" "Bring Down the Walls" "What Money *Can* Buy"   Comments: In the espirit of this writing contest, we'd like to encourage all participants and readers to make comments on contest essays.  You'll see them start to appear in the Search/Answer tab in both the high school and college stages. So let's add some debate to the contest and make comments and give feedback.  Remember to keep all comments/posts/discussions civil and in good taste.   Essay Title: IMPORTANT:  See rules above AND make sure the key concept of your response is incorporated into your essay title when you upload to the site by making the title read, "$1 Million Dollars: [your headline]".

Writing Contest Topic:  Policy change:  If you could effect political or social policy change in the United States on one issue - what would it be and why?" In our last writing contest, we found an interesting theme among the student essay submissions - that many young adults feel their peers are indifferent and apathetic to the world around them.  Thankfully, we know that the students reading and/or actively engaged in this national forum are far from that, so we challenge our regular writers and new writers with a question that allows you pick one issue, one policy, or one social trend, that should be changed.  The topic is up to you.  The politics or viewpoint of the issue is up to you too.  What do you care about?  The environment?  Health care?  Defense of our nation? Food quality?  Energy independence? Don't Ask Don't Tell?  Family values?  Other? What we care about is hearing your passion about an issue and how you'd effect change in this nation if it were up to you (in 500 words or less).  So pick a policy/social issue that's near and dear to your heart and tell us what you'd do to change it, help it, or stop it.  While we want passion, please follow the rules above (no profanity) and keep the essay civil.  If you want to win arguements for your cause, you'll need to be persuasive...and that means shifting opinions of your opponents to your viewpoint through discourse, logic and rationale discussion. Please title your story/essay: "Policy Change:  [insert your policy]." Be creative with this and get specific.  Share a story.  Share advice.  Or maybe go philosophical and open up a larger point of view about the issue/policy itself.

This Contest Has Ended   Winner: "Policy Change - Don't Ask Don't Tell"   Comments: In the espirit of this writing contest, we'd like to encourage all participants and readers to make comments on contest essays.  You'll see them start to appear in the Search/Answer tab in both the high school and college stages. So let's add some debate to the contest and make comments and give feedback.  Remember to keep all comments/posts/discussions civil and in good taste.     Essay Title: IMPORTANT:  See rules above AND make sure the policy/issue is incorporated into your essay title when you upload to the site by making the title read, "Policy Change: [your headline]".

Contest Topic/Theme:  The 2000's in review:  What would you name the last decade?  The last ten years from a student perspective." Time Magazine called the 2000's the "Decade from Hell" in a recent cover story.  From the 9-11 disaster to the current state of the economy, many have felt the last ten years have been...bad.  Do you agree?  Or do you have a different view of the world and the last ten years?  Please title your essay by giving a name to the last ten years (similar to how Time Magazine did it) but expand upon your thoughts on what the last ten years meant to you...you've been growing up in these challenging times. Be creative with this and get specific.  Share a story.  Share advice.  Or maybe go philosophical and open up a larger point of view about the last decade from a teen and young adult perspective in 500 words or less. See Rules Above AND make sure the theme is incorporated into your essay title when you upload to the site.

This Contest Has Ended    Winners:  Decade of Indifference and Decade of Confusion

Contest Topic:  "The three things I hate/love about the first month back at school." So school is in session again.  There's gotta be a few things running through your head on this topic.  Sitting in class again.  What's bugging you?  What's inspiring you? Be creative with this and let's get specific.  Share a story, advice, point of view or humorous ancedote to this contest theme about the top three things you love or hate about going "Back to School" in 500 words or less. See Rules Above AND make sure the theme is incorporated into your essay title when you upload to the site.

This Contest Has Ended    Winner:  College: Back to School - College Edition High School: Looking Forward to the 11th Grade