A Directory of Writing Contests

Abstract

When I attended Grand Rapids Central High twenty years ago, I didn't hear much about writing contests for students, except for the ageless Scholastic Awards and the NCTE Writing Achievement Awards, which were teacher-chosen and only for the really bright kids. I do recall some stodgy essay contests-My Responsibility as a Citizen and Why Earl Warren Should Be Impeached. But, aside from the local Moose Lodge, there were few sponsors in my area of Michigan. Not so today. The colleges of my state are sniffing potential English majors like my Irish setter greets strangers at the door. They find these yearly competitions a smooth way to entice sharp high school students onto their campuses for a spiderlike visit into the collegiate web. Many Boards of Trustees are giving college English department budgets the squeeze, not to mention teaching positions, and so some department heads have legitimized some of their monies by getting involved with their local educational communities. The academic fallout from this has drifted