34th Annual NJCL Creative Writing Contest

Topic: Tell the story of a fictional ancient hero/heroine.

The character should be an original creation of the student, rather than an existing mythological and/or historical figure. Make sure to research reliable background information and cite all sources.

This contest is open to all members of the National Junior Classical League. All students who submit stories must be registered members of the NJCL in order to win. The names of any winners in attendance at the 2012 NJCL Convention will be announced, although a student does not need to attend the convention in order to enter this contest.

Deadline for entries is Friday, February 10, 2012.
Any entries received later than two days after the deadline will not be judged.

Format: All entries must:

be 900 to 1200 words in length (indicate word count under title; stories with significantly more or less words will not be judged)
be typed and double-spaced
have title of story and page number on each page
NOT have the name of the student on the pages of the story
have a bibliography (must cite sources you used to research topic)
not have artwork or graphics
be proofread

Judging: Entries will be judged according to the following criteria:

30% Creativity and originality (concept, imagination, ideas, entertainment value)
10% Quality of content (adherence to topic)
15% Historical accuracy (including bibliography)
15% Organization, development, and clarity (includes length)
10% Style (word choice, vocabulary, sentence structure)
10% Mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization)
10% Overall impression

Sponsors, as we look to perfect the electronic process, we will be handling this year's submissions and judging through email. Please follow these steps to submit your students' stories:

Have students submit their stories to you as word documents. Read and screen the stories to be sure they adhere to the topic and rules and are the independent and original work of each student. Be sure each story has no personally identifying information.
Save each one as "Title Level-Grade.doc" (e.g. Fake Story IV-12.doc or Fake Story II-10.doc)
Create an information file containing your name and contact information (address, phone, email), and for each entry the title of the story and the student's name, level of Latin, and grade level.
Email the stories and information file to Scott Holcomb at caledonicus@gmail.com. Please submit all of your students' entries at one time. If there are only a few files, simply attach them all to one email. Please note, Gmail has a 25 MB size limitation on emails.
If there are many files, you will need to compress them. Create a new folder and name it appropriately. Click and drag all the files into the new folder.
If using Windows, right-click on the folder, select "Send To" and then click on "Compressed (zipped) Folder." Attach the compressed folder to the email.
If using a Mac, right-click on the folder and select "Create Archive" or "Compress." Attach the archived/compressed folder to the email.
I (Scott Holcomb) will email you with confirmation of receipt.

By submitting a story, you verify that:

you have read the story, and it adheres to the topic and rules
the story is the independent and original work of one student
the student is a member of NJCL, and you are a member of ACL, for 2011-2012

Making the contest a class assignment is a wonderful idea, but please be sure to screen the stories you submit - remember that this is a national contest with volunteer judges!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Scott Holcomb via e-mail at caledonicus@gmail.com, or via mail at:

2012 NJCL Creative Writing Contest
c/o Scott Holcomb
Mountain View High School
2135 Mountain View Road
Stafford, VA 22556

Results of the 33rd Annual NJCL Creative Writing Contest

Please click here for the results of the 33rd Annual NJCL Creative Writing Contest. Also, here are the winning entries in each of the divisions: