The English Studies Department at Fitchburg State University is inviting writers from area high schools to submit original work for its annual writing contest, where prizes will include publication in the university’s literary magazine as well as gift certificates to the campus bookstore.
All participants will also have their application fees and enrollment deposits to Fitchburg State waived. The contest is open to any high school student in Massachusetts, grades 9 through 12.
Writers are asked to create their submissions based on the following prompt: Have you ever experienced things seemingly unrelated, but discovered an unexpected connection? Sometimes, thinking about two such events brings a new way of thinking about each of them. Consider, in your life, two separate experiences that are connected in some way and write about them. You may focus on a central image, word, or idea that connects the two experiences, or you may create a connection that makes sense to you. Share how looking at these two events together help you see things in a new light.
Students may submit a narrative essay (up to three pages long), a poem or group of up to three poems (no more than three pages total), or a multimedia project up to five minutes in length. Written submissions may be offered in a language other than English.
Submissions are due Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, and may be turned in online at https://tinyurl.com/4wy77sc6.
For additional information, contact English Studies faculty members Wendy Keyser at wekyser@fitchburgstate.edu or DeMisty Bellinger-Delfeld at dbelling@fitchburgstate.edu.