WRITING
2008 B'Nai B'rith Capital Area Holocaust Essay Contest - Write a 500-word essay on this year's topic: How do we know the Holocaust occurred, and why have people such as Iran's president denied it? What is the strategically best response to Holocaust denial? Cash prizes are $500 for first, $250 for second, and $125 for third place. Postmark deadline is April 17th, 2008. Download the contest info below.
Martin Luther King Jr. Art Poster and Writing Invitational - This contest gives students a chance to display their art and writing in a special exhibition at Siena College. Students in grades pre-1st through 12 can submit art or writing that relates to the theme. Signup by October 1 by filling in the signup form in the "Forms" section of this site. The deadline for this year's contest has passed.
Student Gazette Editorial Contest. Students can submit in the following categories. Winners will receive publication in the Student Gazette on Friday, May 16th and be eligible for cash prizes. Opinion: This category lets you write what you think about news and sports events, issues, controversies, etc. Or you can write a review of a movie, restaurant, video game, play, or whatever you have an opinion about. 500 words maximum. Sports: This includes stories about sports. No opinions, please, but find a sports event -- local, state, national or international - issue (trends, controversies, etc.), or a sports personality and write a narrative about it. 500 words maximum. News/Features: Write an article about something in your community that is newsworthy. You could write a profile about a teacher, firefighter, shopkeeper, or any other interesting person. Or report on an event in your community. Your article must be factual and objective, and not include your own opinion. Keep in mind the guidelines used by most reporters -- who, what, where, when, why and how must be answered. 500 words maximum. Signup by filling in the signup form in the "Forms" section of this site.
KAPL/Lockheed Martin 2008 Essay Contest, Open to students in grades 3-6. Choose one of the following topics: 1. Why would you want to be an astronaut on a future space expedition? 2. If you could design the next space shuttle, what would it look like and how would it work? 3. If you could spend a day on the Space Station, what would you do? 4. What would classes be like in a space school on the moon? Submit entries to The Student Gazette, Attn: KAPL/Lockheed Martin Essay Contest, c/o Chris Palmer, 2345 Maxon Road Extension, Schenectady, NY 12301-1090. Make sure all essays are clearly labeled with the author's name, age, grade, phone number and mailing address. Winner will receive a telescope ($200 value) plus a US Savings Bond. Second and third place winners will receive savings bonds. Prizes will be awarded at Space Day events in May 2008. Essays must be postmarked no later than 3 p.m. March 17, 2008. Essays will be judged on originality and how well the entry uses concepts from science, astronomy and engineering. Judges will also consider overall readability, style, grammar, and spelling. Signup by January 31 by filling in the signup form in the "Forms" section of this site.
Laws of Life Essay Contest gives students a chance to write an essay about the value that is most important to their own life. We did not hold this contest this year, the next contest will be in 2008. Winners will receive gift certificates to Crossgates Mall in the following amounts: $100, first prize; $50, second prize; $25, third prize; $10 for each of two honorable mentions. Download the student information packet and entry form below. Coming in the Spring!!!
Patriot's Pen is an essay writing contest for grades 6, 7, and 8. This competition gives students the chance to write essays expressing their views on democracy. Contestants write a 300-400 word essay based on an annual patriotic theme. First-place winner receives a $10,000 savings bond and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. Top national winners each receive a savings bond anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. Students enter by submitting the required entry form (see web link below), along with their essay, to the local VFW Post.
AWM Essay Contest is open to students from Grades 6-12 and is created to increase awareness of women's ongoing contributions to mathematical sciences. In this contest, the student interviews a female mathematician and writes a biographical essay on their career. The essay should be between 500-1,000 words in length. Some suggestions for interview subjects include: female math teachers, female math professors at colleges, female engineers, etc. Prizes will be awarded and the grand prize winner will have the essay published in the AWM Newsletter. See the link below for additional information and samples of previous winning essays.
Engineer Girl Engineering Essay Contest asks students to write about a yearly theme that has to do with engineering or technology. There are two age divisions: grades 4-6; and grades 7-9. This year's deadline has passed but check the link out and watch for news on next year's contest.
Gettysburg Essay Contest - This contest is for 7th and 8th Grade students and asks them to write an essay on "What the Gettysburg Address Means to Me." The winning essay writer will receive $100 and a family vacation package for four. See the website link below for more information. Deadline for this year is passed, watch for this contest next year. Since only one essay can be submitted per school, essays must be submitted to Mrs. Escobar three school days prior to the deadline.
Creative Communication Writing Contest - This writing contest offers a chance for publishing of student writing pieces in a hardbound anthology. No purchase or entry fee is required. Has separate contests for poetry and essays. See the website listed below.
Black History Month Creative Expression Contest - (Grades 3-12). Submit an original essay or a poem that is between 100 and 500 words long. The subject must be about a Black person, an event or political outcome that had a significant impact on the experience of African people in America or around the world. Entries will be judged in groups of Grades 3-5; Grades 6-8; and Grades 9-12. Winners will be invited to an Awards Ceremony, receive media recognition, a certificate, and prizes.
ART
Martin Luther King Jr. Art Poster and Writing Invitational - This contest gives students a chance to display their art and writing in a special exhibition at Siena College. Students in grades pre-1st through 12 can submit art or writing that relates to the theme. The deadline for this contest has passed. The Art theme for this year is "Over My Head I See Freedom In the Air." The work of art should be reflective on anything related to the theme, along with leading the march for justice and equality to treat all people with respect and dignity, acting to eliminate discrimination, and promoting nonviolent social change that fosters harmony and inclusion. The artwork must e done with bright markers or paint -- no pastels allowed and must be a 12 x 18 design that is matted on an 18 x 24 inch paper mat. The art piece must have a 3 x 5 inch note card stapled to the lower front right hand corner. This card needs to have student information as follows: Name, Age, Grade, School, and name of the teacher who guided the student's project.
Capital Communications Federal Credit Union 2008 Creative Savings Poster Contest. Create a poster that shows how you save money and what you are saving for. For grades 3-6 and Grades 7-12. Posters must be postmarked no later than midnight on March 17, 2008. Posters must be original artwork drawn by the entrant. Computer-generated art or drawings using Number 2 pencils will NOT be accepted. Entries must be 8.5 x 11 inches. Posters will be judged on the creativity of the entrant and how well the drawing relates to the topic and the question. Entries should be mailed to The Student Gazette, Attn: 2008 Creative Cash Poster Contest, c/o Chris Palmer, 2345 Maxon Road Extension, Schenectady, NY 12301-1090. One winner from each age group uwill receive a $250 VISA Gift Card. All posters must be clearly labeled with the artist's name, grade, phone number and mailing address. Sign up by January 31.
PHILOSOPHY
Kids Philosophy Slam - This contest asks kids to write, create poetry, music or create artwork about their personal experiences regarding a philosophical question posed each year. Any student from Kindergarten through 12th grade can enter, including special education students. Deadline is usually in February of each year. See the link below for more information for next year's contest.
MATH
See Writing Section for AWM essay on female mathematicians.
SCIENCE/ENGINEERING/TECHNOLOGY
eCybermission Challenge - This contest lets teams of three or four students (Grades 6-9) identify a problem in the community that is related to Health and Safety, Arts and Entertainment, Sports and Recreation, or the Environment. Teams identify a problem, formulate a hypothesis and conduct research and experiments to find a possible solution. Teams must have a team advisor. They submit their "mission folder," with attached files, via the website. Judges review and score the mission, and regional winning teams with the highest score are invited to compete at the National event. Potential prizes include up to $8,000 in US EE Savings Bonds. Check out the link below for more information.
See Writing Section for Engineer Girl contest.
MISCELLANEOUS
A & E Classroom Contests - The A&E Television Network sponsors a variety of contests throughout the year with some pretty cool prizes. Check out the link below for more information.
