Writing Contest Submission Guidelines

In an original work of 1,000-2,000 words, explore one of the following three topic areas. Your writing should be thoughtful, well researched, and aimed at someone who is new to our region, a visitor, new resident, or potential community member. Use your writing to help them understand what makes this area special.

Option 1 Community Dynamics:

Explore how a person, team, organization, or a local event or product has made a meaningful contribution to our region.

This could include: A local business or nonprofit, a community group or school, or a unique event or locally made product.

Your audience is someone new to the area who may want to get involved, attend the event, or purchase the product.

Include: 1-2 interviews and other primary or secondary research.

See Primary and Secondary Sources: Permissions for the identification between the sources of information and whether you need to obtain permission to use them. 

Option 2 Local Landscape:

Describe the importance of a specific building, town, or natural site in our region. Your goal is to persuade someone who has never visited this place to consider doing so.

Questions to ask yourself as you are writing: Why does this place matter? What is its historical significance? How has it influenced life in the region today? What challenges or changes does it currently face?

Include: 1-2 original photos or visual images that you personally took (not from the internet or third-party sites) and other primary or secondary research.

See Primary and Secondary Sources: Permissions for the identification between the sources of information and whether you need to obtain permission to use them.

Option 3 Personal Narrative:

Share a personal experience that reveals something meaningful about our region. Use a story from your life that connects you to a place, event, person, or experience unique to this area. Focus not just on what happened, but on why it matters to you and the community.

Questions to ask yourself as you are writing: How has this experience shaped your understanding of the region? Did it change your perspective? What message or insight do you want to share with someone unfamiliar with this place?

Include: First-person point of view (“I”). Research is optional but may be included.

See Primary and Secondary Sources: Permissions for the identification between the sources of information and whether you need to obtain permission to use them. 

Important reminders:

• All photos, images, graphs, charts, or tables must be your own, no third-party or AI-generated visuals are allowed.
• You must write the article yourself.
• AI-generated writing will not be accepted.
• If using a professional headshot, you must obtain and document permission.

All submissions must include the following: 

• Informative title
• In-text citations and references list, using either APA or MLA (as needed)
• Single-spaced, size 12 font
• All images, tables, charts, etc., appropriately captioned
• Completed submission form 
• Completed permission form(s): Interview Release and Organization Release, if applicable, for all non-publicly available information, including but not limited to interviews. If missing, the submission will not be accepted for consideration.
• Accurate information
• A well-developed and supported point of view
• Visuals, if any, that enhance textual content
• Purposeful application of research (as needed). Remember that nothing speaks for itself!

Complete the entry form in full (available beginning September 22, 2025, see the Eligibility section below), then upload your .doc, .docx, or .pdf file, along with any other required materials, no later than December 1, 2025. No other file formats are supported. Submissions will only be accepted through the online submission platform. Contest organizers are not responsible for incomplete entries or damaged, missing, or lost files. Each participant may submit only one article.

The contest is open from September 22, 2025 – December 1, 2025, to:

• All IU East undergraduate and graduate students who are registered for at least one class during Fall 2025, and
• All 12^th grade students enrolled in a Wayne County high school for the 25-26 school year.

The first 20 entrants will receive a free book on writing! Choose from one of the six great titles listed below. Make your choice when you upload your article.

• Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
• The Writing Life, Annie Dillard
• The Antiracist Writing Workshop, Felicia Rose Chavez
• On Writing, Stephen King
• The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, Steven Pinker
• How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill, Brown, Jericho, Taylor, Darlene

Three winners (1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place) will be selected in each topic area (Community Dynamics, Local Landscape, and Personal Narrative) for each participant group as follows:

• Wayne County, Indiana high school students
• IU East freshman and sophomores
• IU East juniors and seniors
• IU East graduate students

All prizes will be awarded as scholarships and deposited directly into the students’ IU East bursar accounts.

Prize amounts:

• 1^st Place - $250
• 2^nd Place - $150
• 3^rd Place - $100

Wayne County high school winners must apply their scholarship toward IU East tuition and fees.

All submissions will be judged based on the criteria listed below.

• Article explores one of the three topic areas (Community Dynamics, Local Landscape, Personal Narrative) in a meaningful way, reflecting the writer’s personal engagement with, and knowledge of, the region that is both inviting and authentic.
• Content is accurate and informative, supporting a well-developed point of view or claim (not merely a compilation of data or facts).
• Information is organized clearly and cohesively, with attention to the document’s purpose and the intended reader’s needs.
• Visual elements, including photos, graphics, tables, or charts, if any, enhance textual content and are informatively captioned.
• Primary and/or secondary research is integrated effectively, well-explained, or applied, supporting the document’s purpose.
• Sources are documented accurately through in-text citations and a references list, using APA or MLA
• Design/formatting is consistent and polished, offering a professional presentation. Grammar, spelling, and other conventions are appropriate for document purposes and the intended reader’s needs or expectations.

The contest will be judged by the IU East faculty and staff listed below, who will make a final decision.

• Kelly Blewett, Ph.D., Writing Program Director
• Oi Lin (Irene) Cheung, Ph.D., Director of the Business and Economic Research Center
• Tanya Perkins, MA, MFA, Chair of the English Department
• Eleni Siatra, Ph.D., Director of Academic Support Programs (and Writing Center Manager)
• Gregg Woodruff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Accounting
• TBA

All awarded articles will be published in an issue of the Journal of Student Research at IU East. Students will work with an IU East faculty editor to prepare manuscripts for publication.