The TAKE THE DARE: Dare to be You Essay Contest is here (for US and Canadian residents)! Entries are accepted from 06/11/2009 until 03/31/2010. Homeschoolers welcome!

Take the Dare Essay Contest

Easy to incorporate into any Language Arts program.

Who can enter

The competition is open to all students (including homeschoolers) in the United States and Canada. Students must be in grades 3-7 or the equivalent according to their school system. Students will compete within their grade level only.

Essay Topic

Students will be asked to think of a situation where they find themselves behaving in ways that don’t reflect who they truly are. Then they shall dare themselves to make a change. (Example: For the next week, I DARE to stop saying hurtful things to my little brother because I am NOT a mean person. I am a kind person.) Of course, change doesn’t always happen overnight, so they should try it for at least a week.  Once students have completed the Dare, they should each write a personal essay about their experience.

Evaluation Criteria

All essays will be judged against the following criteria:

• Engaging voice and writing style
• Originality of content
• Clear purpose
• Appropriate tone and natural word choice
• Organization and logic
• Writing mechanics and spelling

Prizes

Finalists’ entries will be published in a yet-to-be-titled paperback anthology. Each finalist will receive a complimentary copy of the book and a certificate of achievement.  Among the finalists, 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners in each grade will each receive a cash award of $50, $20, $10 respectively, and one Grand Prize winner will a $200 cash award.

Deadline:

All entries must be postmarked by March 31^st, 2010.

• Download the full rules and entry form.
• Receive updates/reminders about the contest by completing the form below.

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