Essay Writing Guidelines

Each school is allowed to enter 3 students, male or female, per Division.

An essay is a written composition governed by one controlling idea called the thesis. This thesis should be supported by at least three main points. In order to make the essay interesting and persuasive, each main point should be explained with specific examples, illustrations, facts, quotations, etc. Give careful attention that the essay includes an interesting introduction, with the thesis given in the last sentence of that introduction. The essay should end with a clear note of finality, with the conclusion reiterating the main points covered in the composition. All sides of the argument must be handled, not just the writer’s opinion.

The participant is given a topic and must submit their essay 2 weeks before Convention. No essay will be judged after the date of submission. The Judge’s Form should also be submitted with each essay.

Essay Writing tips:

1. A good essay uses facts, arguments, examples, and illustrations that allow the reader to persuade himself of the truth he is reading.

2. The essay must have been written after the end of the previous Student Convention and must be the original work of the student.

3. The essay must be accompanied by a written outline that the student used to organize the essay.

4. Plagiarism of any kind will automatically disqualify the entry. Any borrowed material (statements and / or ideas) must be properly noted. AI papers will not be judged.

5. MLA format will be used as per previous Conventions.

6. The essay must be written during school hours to verify authenticity. The time chosen to write the essay will be up to each sponsor but copies must be sent two weeks before Convention.

7. Each participant may submit one essay.

Checklist for Essay Writing:

1. Length – 500-700 words (the outline for an essay does not count against word limit).

2. Format – should be double-spaced on plain white paper; one full inch margin on all sides. Use 10-12 point type. Recommended fonts: Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Arial. No heavy, bold, or fancy fonts are to be used.

3. Outline – submit essay outline (typed) with entry.

4. Essays must be submitted two (2) weeks before Convention or they will not be judged. Please send a clean scan of the essay, the Essay Writing Judging Form (filled out with student information) as well as the signed Statement of Assistance to dlindhorst@faithway.org.

Hints from Essay Judges:

Read over the Judge’s Form before writing. Judges look for organization and persuasiveness in essays. Begin your entry with a strong thesis clearly stated in the first paragraph; then follow through logically, smoothly, and persuasively to support that thesis. A strong thesis states the topic or point of view with points that will prove the topic or point of view. Use your own idea and avoid clichés or generalizations that are not supported by examples or illustrations.

Quotes are a good way to support a thesis but should be used sparingly and must be introduced or integrated into the essay.

Careful attention should be given to organization, and your outline will be a valuable tool to keep ideas flowing in the proper order. Judges also look at the technical merits of the piece. Writing should be in the third person unless you have a specific reason for using first or second person. PROOF YOUR WORK! The essay should be neat and free of typing, spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors.

Watch for pronoun / antecedent agreement, wordiness and redundancies, parallelism, and point-of-view shifts. Be careful not to go over the length limit. Finish with a strong, closing statement.

ESSAY WRITING JUDGING CRITERIA (Download PDF)

NOTE: as many as 10 points may be subtracted if essay is not between 500 and 700 words in length.