Writers’ Essay Competition Concept Prizes

Note:
General Information Winners will be divided in three categories as:-
 1st Prize –Campus Ambassador of his/her
college, Winner’s trophy, Medal of Writer’s
Purpose Honour, Certification, Offer for free internship
This contest is sponsored by Writopedia Consultants in Writopedia Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and A cash
Pvt. Ltd. to give young people room to develop their prize.
own views around a central idea. In addition to the  2nd Prize – Runner up’s trophy, Certification,
opportunity for written expression, participants have the Offer for free internship in Writopedia
chance to gain placements at our writing community. Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and A cash prize.
 3rd Prize – 1st Runner up’s trophy,
How to Enter Certification, Offer for free internship in
Interested writers should submit essays on the Writopedia Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and A cash
assigned topic to [email protected] prize.
or live at the venue of the competition in case of  All Participants – Certification & other
competition organized in college premises. The essays opportunities to learn & explore.
are judged at the intra and inter college level.

Eligibility
The contest is open to students aged between 18 to 25
years regardless of their level of education. Writopedia
Consultants Pvt. Ltd. will receive all entries.
Topic
Topic will be provided once the writer has enrolled
for the contest.
Length
700-800 words (Title, footnotes and bibliography are
not included in the final word count.) Hyphenated words
count as one (1) word.

Judging Deadlines
The deadline for students to submit essays is
determined by Writopedia Consultants Pvt. Ltd
Entries are judged and submitted to Writopedia
Consultants Pvt. Ltd. The winners will be notified by an
email from Writopedia Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

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 Application for 2014-2015 Writopedia Essay Contest
Name M F Parent or Guardian Permission:
Address I give my permission for my child/ward to participate in this contest.
City Signature Date / /
College Name Zip/Postal Code Relationship
Telephone ( ) I, , grant Writopedia my permission to use
E-mail a picture of my son/daughter, , for their public relations
Date of Birth / / Age Purposes. Writopedia may use the photo in any publication they see fit.
 
Have you participated in any other Writopedia’s Essay Contest this school year? Yes No
Contestant Agreement:
I have studied the rules of the contest, and I will be bound by all of the requirements.
Contestant’s Signature Date / /

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Essay Contest Rules Section III - Contest Rules Section IV – Judging and Timing
Each contestant must be given a copy of the 1. Participants must write on the official topic. 1. Judges will not discuss or compare essays
rules and complete the entry form. The rules 2. Each entry must begin with a title page being judged.
contain information about the contest, judging containing: the official topic, number of
and awards.
2. Only judges can assign a penalty or
words, writer’s name, address, phone number, award points.
name of school and date of birth.
Section I - General Rules 3. At the top of page 1 should be the official topic and Section V – Scoring
1. The Writers’ Essay contest is divided into intra the number of words (penalty of 2 points for Scoring procedures at all levels of the contest will
college and inter college levels. lack of topic and 5 points for failure to be identical.
2. Contestants must by registering only at identify the total number of words correctly). 1. Material Organization – logical interpretation
www.writopedia.org. 4. Essays must be typewritten and double- of the subject, adherence to topic: 40 points
3. Contestants must compose an original essay spaced. (Deduction of 5 points) 2. Vocabulary and Style – phrasing and
with limited guidance from others. Webster’s 5. Essays must contain at least 700 words but no continuity: 30 points
dictionary defines an essay as an analytic or more than 800 words. Every word of the essay 3. Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling: 20 points
interpretative literary composition. Works of is counted. This does not include the title, 4. Neatness: 5 points
fiction or poetry will not be accepted. bibliography or footnotes. Hyphenated words 5. Adherence to Contest Rules – prepared in the proper
count as 1 word (Deduction of 5 points for format: 5 points
4. Writopedia Consultants Pvt. Ltd. will have the each 25 words over/under limit).
right to edit, publish or otherwise duplicate any
essay entered into the contest without payment to 6. Each page of the essay must be numbered Section VI – Penalties
the author. starting with page 1 of the essay, not the 1. Failure to list official topic: 2 points
title page. The numbers must be centred at 2. Failure to accurately identify total number of words: 5
Section II - Qualifications for Contestants the bottom of each page. points
1. The contest is open to writers between 18 to 30 7. Any quotation or copyrighted material used must 3. Failure to type essay and double-space: 5 points
years irrespective of their educational be identified properly. For example, use of 4. Failure to stay within the 700-800 word limit: 5
qualification. a specific writer’s format (such as MLA) may be points for each 25 words over/under limit
specified by the instructor overseeing the 5. Self-identification: 5 points or fraction of based
2. All contestants at each level of the contest contest. Failure to identify non-original material on degree of identification
must furnish a copy of their birth certificate will result in disqualification.
or passport before participating.
8. An essay must be written in English. For more information contact:
Contact Person:
Contact Address:

_________________________________

Contact Phone or Email:

______________________________________

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Points
Material Organization
In this category, the interpretation of the subject, a clear presentation of the writer’s concept, dedication to research and
the logical organization of the supporting facts should be considered.
Maximum point award is 40 points.

Vocabulary and Style

The choice of words, use of descriptive phrases, clear sentence structure and illustration of the topic are considered.
Use of figures of speech, similes, metaphors and quotations are important factors.
Maximum point award is 30 points.

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

Consider such factors as subject and verb agreement, plurals of nouns and tense.
Maximum point award is 20 points.

Neatness
General appearance of the essay is a vital part of the presentation. Legibility and spacing in handwritten essays are to be
considered.
Maximum point award is 5 points.

Adherence to Contest Rules

The ability to follow instructions and observe rules is important. The rules detail the format for the essay.
Maximum point award is 5 points.
Total of points awarded should be compiled and placed in the indicated space on the form.

Penalties
Failure to list the official topic
The official topic must be listed at the top of page 1 of the essay.
Deduct 2 points for lack of the topic.

Failure to identify total number of words and doing so correctly

The number of words is to be indicated at the top of page 1 of the essay. The total must be accurate and in the proper
place to avoid penalty points.
Deduct 5 points for incorrect total or indication in the wrong place.

Failure to Type Essay and Double Space

All essays are to be type-written and double-spaced. Deduct 5 points.

Failure to stay within the 700-800 word limit

The word limit does not include the title, footnotes or bibliography. It applies only to the text and includes every word,
regardless of length. Hyphenated words count as 1 word.
Deduct 5 points for each 25 words over or under the limit.

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 Judge’s Score Sheet
Writers’ Essay Contest Judge #

Entry Number
Categories to be judged: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Material Organization
Maximum point award 40 points
Vocabulary and Style
Maximum point award 30 points
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
Maximum point award 20 points
Neatness
Maximum point award 5 points
Adherence to Contest Rules
Maximum point award 5 points
Total Points Awarded
Penalties
Failure to list official topic
Deduct 2 points
Failure to identify total number
of words and doing so correctly
Deduct 5 points
Failure to Type Essay/Double Space
Deduct 5 points
Failure to stay within the 700-
800 word limit
Deduct 5 points for each 25
words over/under the limit
Self-Identification
Deduct 5 points or fraction based
on degree of identification
Total Penalties Deducted
Final Total
Total points awarded minus
total penalties deducted
Ranking of top 5 essays
NO TIES ALLOWED

Signature of Judge Date / /

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 ®

Instructions for Master Score Sheet

As Essay judges, you will have two important Two Additional Points to Keep in Mind:
responsibilities BEFORE turning over your entries 1. In compiling scores, these should be kept in your
to the judges: confidence and should never be revealed,
1. Review entries for obvious violations of the rules. displayed or discussed.
If non-conformity to the rules is so extreme that 2. In the event you have a large number of
you feel the entry is not worthy of judging, you entries you may want to have a preliminary
may disqualify it from further competition. judging
2. Number each title page and place that same number (separate judges) to reduce the number to a
on each page of the essay. Next, detach the title workable field. This is the decision of the
page and keep it for your records. This will free the Contest judges; it is not mandatory.
judges from any suspicion of prejudice or
subjectivity. Using the Master Score Sheet
Enter the points allotted to the various entries by each
OPTION: of the three judges on the master score sheet. After
Many Essay judges have passed this helpful hint totalling the points allotted for each entry in the total
along to the Programs Department: column, rank the entries in the rank column. If no ties
occur, you can easily determine your first, second and
For each essay to be judged, confirm the total number third-place winners.
of words in the essay. Remember: the material in the text In the case of a tie, the entry scoring the largest
of the essay is counted, not the footnotes at the bottom of number of points in category 1 shall be declared the
the page or end of the essay. winner. If a tie still exists, each succeeding category
shall be considered the tie-breaker.
1
Example: The Book of Dreams, page 6-10, Steven Should a tie still exist through category 5, the tied
Smith. This would not be counted in the word total, essays shall be resubmitted to the judges for a second
however in the text: “Dreams are an important part judging (no ties permitted, as before).
of a person’s development.” The quotation would be
counted.
Remember words like: a, and, the, ARE counted
in the word total.
Remember: hyphenated words count as 1 word.
If the number of words is not correctly identified, note
it on a list. This will cut down on some of the time it takes
judges to complete their tasks.

Example:
Essay Words Correctly Correct Identified Count
1 Yes
2 No 805
3 No 605

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Master Score Sheet for Judges
Writers’ Essay Contest
Entry Judge 1 Judge 2 Judge 3 Point Total Rank
Number
1

10

11

12

13

14

15

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State Level Essay Contest Winner’s Information Form
To be Completed by the Writopedia Consultants Pvt. Ltd. ONLY
District Name/Number
Name
Address
City State/Province Zip/Postal Code
Home Telephone # ( )
 
Age Sex F M

Number of youth in District contest

We certify that the above named contestant is the winner of the

Essay Contest, judged on (date) .

Signed Judges
Signed MD, Writopedia
Phone Number ( ) E-mail

Enclosures:
Winner’s Information Form
Essay Contest Entry Form
Copy of Birth Certificate or Passport

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CONTEST TIME LINE
Registration Start Date

Registration Finish Date

Allotment of the Topic (District Level)

Submission Date (District Level)

Display and Acknowledgement of the winners from

the district level competition (District Level)
Allotment of the Topic (Zonal Level)

Submission Date (Zonal Level)

Display and Acknowledgement of the winners from

the district level competition (Zonal Level)
Invitations to writers for live contest in Ahmedabad,
Gujarat
Final Contest Date and Time