National Essay Writing Finals
-
There is only one level of competition for essay writing Bee:
- SEW (Senior essay writing Bee): Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12
- A 1st rank winner at the National Finals of the North South Foundation senior essay writing bee is not eligible for competing in this and future North South Foundation spelling contests.
- The Essay topic will ONLY be announced 10 minutes before the contest begins. During this 10 minutes time, the contestants need plan on how to write the essay and they are also required to go through the criteria on which the essay is going to be graded.
- After these 10 minutes, contestants are given 60 minutes to write the essay on the given topic and the essay should be not more than 1000-words long.
- The essay must be an original composition written by the entrant, onsite (i.e., in the Contest Room), and must be written in English.
- Contestants are responsible to bring their own pencils and erasers.
- Unclear and illegible writing might be open for misinterpretation. Contestants are expected to write clearly and legibly. It is the responsibility of the contestant to write the badge number on all pages of the essay bee booklet .
- An essay submitted by any contestant will not be returned under any circumstances. NorthSouth shall reserve the right to publish the essay, name, school and photo of any participant in any manner it deems fit.
- Each essay will be graded by a minimum of three judges and the average of the judges scores will be used for ranking. The decisions of the judges are final.
- The First, Second and Third place winners are decided based on the average of the three judges scores. The first place winner shall be ahead by at least 0.01 point to be declared as the champion.
Winners and Ranks:
- Basic Guide to Essay Writing: http://members.tripod.com/~lklivingston/essay/
- Another useful website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/internet/resources/genre.html
- Sample essay topics: Samples
The NorthSouth Leadership-in-Writing is the latest addition to the suite of annual NorthSouth contests. It is intended to encourage good writing skills while nurturing creativity, the ability to think quickly, and present well-connected ideas persuasively and succinctly. It is designed to be in line with the "timed writing" component of current standardized tests (SAT). Good writing style will be the key differentiating characteristic in identifying the winners.
The essays will be scored by a qualified panel of NorthSouth Essay Contest judges (three judge will score each essay). Every submitted essay will be read and ranked by every judge on the panel. Depending on the number of contestants, winners will be identified based on NorthSouth Leadership in Writing Contest judging rules. The decisions by the judges shall be final and shall not be subject to any further appeal.
Results will be announced within 2 to 3 weeks after the contest. All regional and national contest results shall be posted on the NorthSouth website.
The NorthSouth Leadership in Writing Bee is intended to encourage “impromptu writing” of “timed essays” with discipline, logic and creativity.The “timed” mode encourages discipline and brevity.It should have good content, good language and good style.Good content implies well-connected ideas written persuasively and effectively on the “given topic”.The child must be able to express his/her idea of leadership very clearly. Examples may be used as and when required. Good language implies the use of good vocabulary. The right word used in the right place packs in a better punch.Writing is a fine art and therefore it is expected that the participant will use the best words possible while writing on the topic. For example, one can say a line very plainly - ‘he is liked by all’ or one can word it better as in ‘he is appreciated by all’.Good style implies many things – writing with flair and color, creativity and adding one’s own personal touch. Grammar and punctuation errors will be taken into account.
Online registration via NorthSouth homepage is generally available, starting early January. You can also refer to the NorthSouth Contest Calendar or ask your Regional Coordinator about registration deadlines and contest dates.
Currently, the national finals will be held only for the senior level. In the future, they may be held for all levels.