Why Should You Consider Participating in the Young Authors Writing Project...

• The Young Authors Writing Project is a wonderful way to encourage writing across all grade levels.

• Students who submit writing have the potential to win at 3 different levels: School, County, and State.

• Young authors are encouraged to write about their personal story–past, present, and future, celebrating their wonderful and unique qualities and the things that they love about themselves, including special family connections, talents, gifts, and ways that they are special.

• Authors may write in their first language and submit along with an English translation.

• Authors may write poetry or prose, fiction or nonfiction.

• Students may also submit an original design or art work for the cover of the 2024 NCRA Young Authors Anthology.

• YA Detailed Information

• “I am special because…” (K-1)

• Personal Reflective Writing (K-5)

• Eyes that Kiss in the Corners reflective writing (K-5)

• Read aloud, I Am Every Good Thing, nominated for the 2024 NC Children Book Award. Then have students write about things they do well. (K-5)

• Lesson for writing limericks about yourself

• This I Believe: an independent, not-for-profit organization that engages youth and adults from all walks of life in writing, sharing, and discussing brief essays about the core values that guide their daily lives.

• 168 Writing Prompts from the New York Times to spark writing (grades 6-12)

• Top Tips on writing, reading, editing, publishing and performing from some of the biggest names in poetry (grades 6-12)

• YA General Information 2023-2024

• All entries must be original creations.

• Only 1 writing entry per author may be submitted. (*NOTE: Authors may also choose to submit for the art contest, but again, may only submit one piece of writing and one piece of art, total).

• Authors may write in their first language and submit along with an English translation

• All entries must have participated in a local level judging before being submitted for the state judging.

• Please remember that these pieces will be published in a book for authors in kindergarten through adulthood, and that all entries (art and writing) should be appropriate for a wide audience that includes young children. If an entry is deemed too mature for young audiences, it will not be included in the book, so please carefully consider the topic you choose before submitting.

• All entries to the state judging level must be submitted by a member of NCRA by December 1, 2023.

• December 1, 2023: Final Submission Due Date

• Thursday, December 7th, 2023 at 7:00 pm: Live session to provide support and answer questions about state judging.
• December 11, 2023 to January 12, 2024: state judging window. Each writing entry will be judged twice using the State YA Rubric.
  
• Each writing entry will be judged by members of a different local council than the submitting council.
  
• Art entries will be judged by the state YA Committee and/or the Executive Committee.
  
• Information regarding deadlines and other details will be provided by State YA Chair .

Please note that this formatting is specific for the state entries. Your local council may like the items saved a different way.

All entries should:

• Use 10­ point, “Times New Roman” font, single ­spaced, for the body of the piece.

• Include an original title, typed in bold, 12­ point type, with only the first letter of each major word in the title capitalized.

• Include author information after the body of the piece. Skip two lines and then center the following information in 10 ­point:

Word Count:

Grades Pre-K-1: 200 Words

Grades 2-5: 300 Words

Grades 6-8: 400 Words

Grades 9-12 and Forever Young: 500 Words

Example:

Author’s First and Last Name, Grade ______ (numerical) or Forever Young

Teacher’s First and Last Name (Teacher: Name)

School Name

Local Council Named

Submitting writing correctly is very important

• Name the file with the child's grade level (PK for preschool, 00 for kindergarten, 01 for first, and so on through grade 12, and then Forever Young entries will be labeled 13)
• Then the local council name (whole name)
• Finally the author's last name and first name

Here are several examples:

Kindergarten:

00_tarriverreadingcouncil_willemsmo

Fifth Grade:

05__moorecountyreadingassociation_dicamillokate

Tenth Grade:

10__crystalcoastreadingcouncil_kingstephen

Forever Young:

13__crystalcoastreadingcouncil_golightlyemily

• The designs must be original ideas and clearly connect with the theme. Art must be vertical top to bottom (portrait).

• Guidelines for the Cover Art Design may be accessed on the NCRA website in the YA Google Drive Folder, Young Authors Art Design Criteria

• Each council can submit up to 10 Art Entries; make sure that the theme is reflected and that the work scans clearly.

• Scan the art work and submit as a jpeg file

• You will submit your digital entries using the Young Authors Entry Form no later than December 1, 2023. UPLOAD council entries to the Council Art Folder as JPEG files (not pdf files).

• The scanned JPEG should be saved as follows: NumericalGradeLevel__LastNameFirstName_CouncilName/Initials

• (example: 02_RiveraStephanie_BRRC)

• The designs will be judged by the YA or Executive Committee who will select finalists.

• Each physical entry selected as a finalist must be mailed in and be accompanied by a Young Author’s Entry Form.

• Suggested deadline for local submissions is November 1, 2023.

• The President may select the cover design or request a vote from the Executive Committee.

• The State YA Chair will notify local YA Chair of art winners by JANUARY 14, 2024.
• WINNING Physical art entries need to be MAILED to the state YA Chair at:

Denise Owens

4109 Treetops Circle

Winterville, NC 28590

• SEND winning physical art entries by JANUARY 20, 2024.

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