May 2013 National Writing Contest:  Share a Special Memory of Your Mom, Grandmother, or Important Woman in Your Life?

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?

March 2013 National Writing Contest:  When have you applied the phrase "No Fear" in your life?

January 2013 National Writing Contest:  Where do we go after Newtown?

December 2012 Writing Contest:  How will you be the change in 2013?

November 2012 Writing Contest:  What was the most inspirational or important book you've ever read?

October 2012:  SPORTS & FAMILY - How have sports positively (or negatively) shaped traditions in your family?

September 2012:  POLITICS & PASSION - Share a story about what one political issue is most important to you in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election.

July & August 2012:  MUSIC - Share a story of a song that played an important role during a unique time in your life.

June 2012:  NATURE - How has nature inspired you?

April 2012:  MOVIES - What movie has made the biggest difference in your life?

VIEW SUMMARY REPORT: Teens and Movies

March 2012:  POETRY - Dedicate a Poem to Someone Who Matters

VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  Teen Poems

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...

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

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?

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: 

VIEW SUMMARY REPORT:  See what teens wrote about trust and safety

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.

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

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.

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...

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...  

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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]

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]

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]