June 2013 Writing Contest Prompt:  "Summer Reinvention" - How will you make this summer one you'll always remember?

READ RULES...	ENTER ESSAY...
STEP 1 - Take Survey:  Answer our 10 questions about summer.  Click the Survey Monkey link to the right. STEP 2 - Submit Your Essay Answering this Writing Prompt:  How will you make this summer one you'll never forget?  Click the Submit Essay button to the right. Title of Essay:  When you submit your essay, title it as:  "Summer Reinvention: ________" Example:  Summer Reinvention:  I'm turning off Facebook this summer and learning guitar Include the phrase "Summer Reinvention" as the beginning of your essay title in the Story Title field, but add your own headline following that so your essay title is unique Read all contest rules and guidelines Background: School is ending for the year.  Summer is beginning.  How are you going to do something this summer that will make it special...one you'll always remember? Rules:  Essay should be 500 words or less. Read all rules. Deadline:  Midnight June 30th Pacific Time US Results:  Finalists, Runners Up, and Winner will be posted here after July 15th, 2013 Enter now by taking the survey and submitting your essay!	STEP 1:  Take Teen Survey... STEP 2:  Enter Your Essay... Prize Sponsor... Writing Contest Prize Package:  Two passes for movie tickets from Fandango, the leading online movie ticket seller. SWAG package from StageofLife.com Exposure for your essay in national press release Writing Contest Resource Links... View Full Details, Rules Our Judging Process Teen Trend Reports and Writing Contest Archive Read High School essays Read College essays "Short Short Story" Twitter Writing Contest Instagram Photo Contest
Contact Us about this Teen Writing Contest

Be Real.  Be Yourself:  The strongest submissions for this essay contest will use a personal tone and point-of-view writing style that shares your thoughts on the topic.  If you want to make your essay even stronger, we recommend doing a little research and adding quotes or a statistic (or two). 

Quick Rules:

• Essays should be 500 words or less.
• You are welcome to blog on StageofLife.com as much as you want, but only TWO essay submissions per user for the writing contest are allowed.
• Please be creative with your title, then type or cut and paste your full essay from a program like NotePad or TextEdit (don't use any formatting - just text, please) into the Story Details field (which will appear after you click the Submit Essay button above. 
  
• Adjust the spacing of your essay within the essay submit form.
  
• Title your essay using the instructions above so our Editors can find it in the story feeds in your life stage homepage on the website.  Example:  Here's where the high school student submissions get posted - High School
• StageofLife.com is a non-partisan literacy initiative.  We judge the writing contest submissions not on the political or religious stance of our teen writers, but rather on how creative, original, passionate, and well written the essays are.  See below for more details on our judging policy.
• Read these tips for good essay writing to be considered a writing contest finalist
• You will need to login to StageofLife.com to submit your writing contest entry.  If you don't have a StageofLife.com login, please register for StageofLife.com (it's free).

Prize Package:  The winning writer will receive...

• A spot as a Featured Writer on StageofLife.com
• Stage of Life pen
• Gift cards, codes, or product from the named prize sponsor mentioned above.
  
• A mention and link to your essay in Stage of Life's national monthly press release - here's a link to one of our press releases for reference.
  

Free Essay Contest:

This is a free writing contest.  StageofLife.com does not require a submission fee. TWO ESSAYS ENTRY PER PERSON FOR THE WRITING CONTEST.  However, you are welcome to blog about your life or other topics outside of this writing contest at any time on StageofLife.com

Contest Deadline:  

Last day of the month at midnight Pacific Standard Time (US).   StageofLife.com time stamps all essay in Greenwich Mean Time (England) as we are an international writing initiative.  International student submissions are welcome.

Winning Essays: 

Of the submitted essays, one student winner will be selected.  The winner and semi-finalists will be announced here after the 15th of the following month.  Winner and semi-finalists will be contacted by a StageofLife.com staffer via the email used to register for the website.

As we state in our Writing Contest Rules and Judging Criteria, student writers selected as our national essay finalists and winner(s) will demonstrate strong writing skills, a unique point-of-view, personal tone, originality, and realness in their essay. 

"Realness?"  Yes...realness. 

The reason that journalists and organizations ranging from TIME.com to Mint Education have featured our essays (especially our teen posts) in the national media is because our student bloggers all write from the heart.  Real people sharing real stories about their lives.  Combine this with our position as one of the only international, non-partisan, literacy platforms in the world and you'll find Stage of Life an open environment to share your ideas. 

Post Comments: 

We'd like to encourage all participants and readers to make comments on these writing contest essays.  Please just remember to keep all comments/posts/discussions civil and in good taste in each of the essay-blog threads, especially since some of our writing prompts are sensitive in nature.  Nasty comments, personal attacks, or other such comments are not allowed and will be removed should they come to our attention.

Judging:

If you have questions about the rules or judging criteria for our writing contests, you can visit our Rules & Judging Criteria page.

Last Words - Share Your Story: 

Our hope is that your writing contest submission will positively impact others and help with our mission of making the world a better place, one story at a time.  Your essay may inspire others or even better, give you an opportunity to share a story that's simply important to you.

After you've submitted your essay, feel free to share the link to your essay on Facebook or Twitter.  Our essays are judged by real Editors, not popularity, but we do like to spread the word about our national, grassroots writing contest.   Also, please share this writing contest with Language Arts, English and History teachers, or on your blog. 

If you know a teacher who would like a free Stage of Life writing contest poster for his or her classroom, have them contact us.

About:

Read more about StageofLife.com and our mission

May 2013 Writing Contest Prompt:  "Letter to Mom" - Share a special memory about your mother, grandmother, or an important woman in your life.

Details:  In honor of Mother's Day this month, we want to recognize and thank the women who helped raise us.  Think about your Mom, your Grandmother, or any special woman in your life who is or was a source of inspiration.  Now close your eyes and think about what makes that woman special.  Is it her overall characteristics or personality?  Is it a memory of a specific event or moment (serious, sad, or humorous) you shared with your Mom that brings joy to your heart? 

As an added action item for this student writing contest, after you've submitted your essay (submission button is below), share the URL of your post with your Mom.  Send it to her on Facebook.  Tweet the url to her.  Or print it out and mail or give it to her.  However you do it, consider letting her know the positive thoughts and memories you shared about her with the world.

We look forward to reading your "Letter to Mom" essays this month.

Prize Package:  The winning writer will receive...

• A spot as a Featured Writer on StageofLife.com
• Stage of Life pen
• Prize package for includes 2 Complimentary Movie Tickets from the nation's leading moviegoer destination Fandango.com
  
• A mention and link to your essay in Stage of Life's national monthly press release - here's a link to one of our press releases for reference.
  

THIS WRITING CONTEST HAS ENDED.
READ THE RESULTS and SUMMARY REPORT HERE...

 

Writing Contest Prompt:  "In the News" - What Current National or International News Story Do You Think More Teens and College Students Should Care About, and Why?

Teen & College Essay Contest Winner and Place Finishers:

• 1st Place Winner:  In the News: Terror, Justice, Unity, and Bigotry by awdavis2014 (Do not irrationally fear or hate Muslims)
• 2nd Place (tie):  In the News: No means no: Charges of rape from high school students in Ohio by rachelbowanko (Nothing other than a clear and explicit yes equals consent)
• 2nd Place (tie):  In the News: A Perspective on North Korea from a Korean-American International Student by allisonpark98 (Help North Korea, not hate or destroy)
• 3rd Place:  In the News: Shining brighter than the spotlight but for all the wrong reasons by jessicawang727 (Her friend committed suicide as a result of bullying)

1. In the News: Learning Tolerance Through ND Abortion Laws by Nyamekye (Reality doesn’t always mesh well with principle)  

2. In the News: The Economic Sky is Falling, Somewhere Else by mikema63 (We cannot ignore the problems of the world)

3. In the News: The Rising Cost of Education by KL94 (College requires serious thought and a serious paycheck)

4. In the News: Global warming, 2012: hottest year on record by bowen42 (Teens tend not to care about issues that they feel a disconnect with)

5. In the News: Gay Marriage by K.E. Nave (People fall back on spiritual arguments against gay marriage because there is no good logical argument)

6. In the News: Gun Control by Mjmts (Moderate views should be given more consideration)

7. In the News: There’s No Place Like Home by amanda.tucker (We should focus more on local issues instead of foreign affairs)

8. In the News: The Topless of the FEMEN Movement by SorellaLark (FEMEN is a new breed of feminism)

9. In the News: Stop the Ignorant Flow by IsabellaPow (The world doesn’t revolve around you)

20 Semi-Finalists (in no particular order):

1. In the News: The Explosions Heard Around the World by luke.avenel98 (The heroism of everyday people at the marathon bombings should the goodness in the world)  

2. In the News: Alternative Fuel Sources by jacob.broussard.376 (Fossil fuels are due to run out by 2060)  

3. In the News: The Debate on Legalizing Gay Marriage by torimykell95 (This LDS teen loves her church and supports gay marriage) 

4. In the News: Gay Marriage Affects You How? by mdexter15 (Teens need to stop regurgitating what their parents think and think for themselves—gay marriage doesn’t hurt anyone)  

5. In the News: GOP threats filibuster gun bill, highlight what is wrong with our government by awdavis2014 (Special interest groups are too involved in the government)  

6. In the News: Democrats Doleful Over Gun Control by Kit B (The American people can help overturn a bad decision) 

7. In the News: U.S. Immigration Issues by lexie0113 (Our immigration system is far from perfect)

8. In the News: Bangladesh Building Crash by welcome2mysillylife (It’s important to be aware of issues around the world)  

9. In the News: The inextricable tie between foreign and domestic affairs by OliviaZZZ5 (Events happening around the world will inevitably affect America) 

10. In the News: It Started from Thatch by REENA (Thatcher, the “Iron Lady”, left behind an important belief in the UK)  

11. In the News: Anonymous and CISPA by RedTwist (CISPA allows the government to collect personal information without a warrant)

12. In the News: The Science by Papples (He hopes more news outlets will begin to focus on science news)  

13. In the News: Growing Desensitization to Death in America by AsiaStewart (News of atrocities and death little astonish American people)

14. In the News: North Korea’s Threats… Should We Be Worried? by Cardellichio (It is important to remain calm)

15. In the News: Just Because There Aren’t Nukes Involved Doesn’t Mean We Shouldn’t Care by catdiggedydog (North Korea is the center of a horrible human rights crisis) 

16. In the News: North Korea’s threats with no basis of evidence by adeliemelon (We may take action too late) 

17. In the News: A young girl is dead—teen bullying is to blame by jenx817 (Don’t ever victim blame)

18. In the News: The Syrian Crisis by kristintrusz (This teen represented Syria during Model UN Conference)  

19. In the News: The Tragedy of the Fertilizer Plant Explosion Leaves Americans Speechless by a_frank14 (This tragedy could have been easily prevented)  

20. In the News: Tragedy in Tibet by Dash (This news is highly underrepresented)

• 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 is..."What current news story or event should teens and college students care about...and why?"

Answer that question in 500 words or less.  In your essay, consider addressing these questions in a CREATIVE manner...

• What is the particular news story are you most passionate about?
  
• Why do you care about it so much?
• Why should other young people care more about this news story?
• Is there anything you, or others, can do to help make a difference in the outcome of this news story?
  

Prize Package:  The winning writers will receive...

• A spot as a Featured Writer on StageofLife.com
• Stage of Life pen
• Prize package for teen or college student winner that includes 2 Complimentary Movie Tickets from the nation's leading moviegoer destination Fandango.com
  
• A mention and link to your essay in Stage of Life's national monthly press release - here's a link to one of our press releases for reference.