500-word
ESSAY
CONTEST
CALL FOR ENTRIES:
Personal essays on the theme of COMPETITION (in sports, in war, in
school, in personal relationships—what’s it like to win? what’s it like
to lose? Is it ever better to lose?—be creative!)
TIMELINE:
Monday, February 15, through Tuesday March 15, 2016—Entries accepted.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016—Bettendorf Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Gary W. Moore,
author of “Playing with the Enemy,” will introduce the winner and two runners-up at
the youth and adult levels. These six will be invited to read their essays.
ELIGIBILITY:
Must live within a 50-mile radius of the Quad-Cities.
Youth level is high school or younger.
Adult level is out of high school.
RULES:
Essays should not exceed 500 words.
Write: “SCRT Youth” or “SCRT Adult” somewhere on essay.
Provide name, address, phone number, email (if available).
PRIZES:
First place: $50 for Youth, $50 for Adult;
Runners-up: $25 each for two Youth entries, $25 each for two Adult entries
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Essays may be submitted by email, mail, or in person starting on Monday, February 15, 2016, and must be received or
postmarked by Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
SUBMISSION LOCATIONS:
Bettendorf Public Library, LeClaire Community Library, any branches of Davenport Public and Scott County Library
System or email: [email protected] using “SCRT Youth” or “SCRT Adult” in the subject line
JUDGING:
The Scott County Reads Together committee and designees will be responsible for narrowing down the entries if
necessary. Gary W. Moore, author of “Playing with the Enemy,” will rank the top six entries.
Thanks to the Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library for funding monetary prizes.
The “Scott County Reads Together: Playing with the Enemy” project is supported by Humanities Iowa and the
National Endowment for the Humanities and is a partnership between Bettendorf, Davenport, LeClaire, and Scott
County public libraries as well as Edison Academy, Scott Community College, and St. Ambrose University.