Here’s what you need to know
The 7th Annual Student Storytelling Contest, sponsored by Foothills Forum and the Rappahannock News, kicked off last week, calling on students to tell stories about generosity, honesty and kindness.
Who can participate?
The contest is open to any student in grades 7-12 living in Rappahannock County or attending school there — public, private or homeschool. Entries will be judged in three groups — 7-8th grade, 9-10th grade and 11-12th grade.
What is the prompt?
This year, all entries must follow the same prompt: Tell a story about yourself or someone you know which involves an act of generosity, honesty or kindness.
All stories should be nonfiction and include the classical story elements of setting, character and action.
What can I submit?
Stories do not have to be written, and can be created using any form of media. However, entries must fall within one of the following categories:
-
Written: A written, nonfiction story between 400-600 words, single or double spaced
Examples: short story, poetry, script, feature article
-
Audio/Visual: A visual, narrative piece of media between three to five minutes long.
Examples: video, cartoon, photo story (6-12 images), podcast, oral storytelling, short film
-
Graphic Story: A minimum of six drawings or artwork — and no more than 12 — that tell a story following the prompt. Words can be incorporated with “bubbles” or another form of your choosing.
Example: series of drawings in the style of a graphic novel or comic strip
More details and guidelines can be found on the contest website: rappstories.com.
Prizes
More than $2,200 in cash prizes, publication in the Rappahannock News and an awards ceremony and celebration of storytelling will be provided to contest winners. There were more than 60 entries last year and organizers hope for even more this year.
Prize money and awards for each contest group are as follows:
7-8th Grade:
1st: $200
2nd: $125
3rd: $75
Honorable Mentions: $30
9-10th Grade:
1st: $300
2nd: $200
3rd: $125
Honorable Mentions: $40
11-12th Grade:
1st: $450
2nd: $300
3rd: $50
Honorable Mentions: $50
Winners will be selected by an independent panel of judges, and will be announced later this spring. A date for this year’s award ceremony is to be determined, and will be announced online and in the Rappahannock News.
Help and guidance
Multiple resources are available to assist students during the writing and creating process on rappstories.com
This year, a Google Classroom is available to all students interested in entering the contest where editors will be available to answer questions, help refine ideas and provide feedback on drafts. The classroom link, tips and other supporting materials can be found on the “Editing Help” page of the website.
How to enter
All entries will be collected online through a Google form that can be found on the contest website.
In addition to the online entry, if a student would like to submit a physical copy of his or her story, it can be done by filling out a second, printed entry form — also available on the website — and turn it in with their work at the Rappahannock News office, 309 Jett St., Washington, Va., during normal business hours.
All entries must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 21.
The workshop is open to all students and their families, and pizza will be served after the presentation.
Sign up for Rapp News Daily, a free newsletter delivered to your email inbox every morning.
