WATERVILLE — Thomas College students are hosting the Thomas College Lunder School of Education Poetry and Prose Writing Contest for area middle school and high school students this month.
The contest is open to students in grades 5-12 with four categories: 5th-6th, 7th-8th, 9th-10th, and 11th-12th. The top prize for each category is $100 and second place $25. Both prose and poetry is accepted with a max of 10 pages for prose and three pages for poetry. Submissions are due by March 30 and can be submitted online.
This contest is being organized by Thomas College Education professor Dr. Katie Rybakova’s 21st Century’s Literature class.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for 5th-12th graders in Maine — they have the possibility of earning some money, but more importantly, they get a chance to get real feedback from college students at Thomas regardless of whether or not they win an award,” says Dr. Rybakova.
Two student organizers, Kathryn Nightingale and Kate Richards, are part of the class of Thomas College students who are putting together this contest.
Nightingale says, “As a preservice teacher, I am excited to have the opportunity to engage with 5th-12th graders across the state as I have helped plan the writing contest and will review the entries.”
Richards says, “This contest is a great way to let students share their creative ideas and show off their talents while getting feedback from Thomas College students. This will help us build connections throughout the education community.”
For more information, please contact Dr. Rybakova at katie.rybakova@thomas.edu.