The Atlantic & College Board writing prize calls for candidates

by Adva Fuchs, Co-Editor in Chief

Eager, young writers now have the chance to show off their writing abilities in the annual Atlantic & College Board Writing Prize. This competition gives writers the ability to earn money for college as well as get published in The Atlantic, a nationally recognized magazine.

Between January 1st and February 28th, high school students, ages 16-19, will be required to submit a 1000-2000 word essay on this years theme of “Important Documents in US History”. Finalists of the contest will be announced in mid-May and will then be honored in July at the AP Annual Conference.

“This is a great experience for kids to research…and prepare for college. Writing thousands of words [is] a great experience to learn about your country,” senior Emily Clark said.

This essay must describe the selected document’s historical and/or cultural context, analyze the author’s language choices, analyze the intent, meaning, or cultural impact of the work, and connects the document to a community or personal experience.

A list of the contests US history documents can be found here, and explicit instructions for the writing and submitting of essays can be found here.

“Writing is one of the most important skills to master…It is this kind of writing that allows you to build knowledge, deepen understanding, and develop informed opinions,” The Atlantic and College Board Call for Entries said.

The contest hopes to identify talented young students from throughout the United States and internationally, as well as teach students that with successful analytical writing skills, comes successful thinking abilities that help people at any point in their lives.