Young Writer

There is still time to enter the 

MID HERTS ROTARY YOUNG WRITER 2013 COMPETITION

Open to 7-17 year olds in the local area, you have to write a letter to a person of your choice on the theme of "Peace" no longer than one side of A4 (written or printed).

RULES

1. Objectives

Letter writing is fast becoming a lost but nevertheless necessary art, which this competition hopes to foster. 

The winners of the Mid Herts competition will be entered for the District competition, covering parts of Herts, Beds and Bucks, and the winners of the District competition will be entered for the RIBI National competition.

2. Entrants

This competition is open to young people who live or are at school in the Mid Herts Rotary area, the towns of Brookmans Park, Hatfield, Potters Bar and Welwyn Garden City, along with the surrounding areas.

There are three age categories, with ages taken on 31st August 2012

JUNIOR: Aged 7 – 10 years (Date of Birth 01/09/2001 – 31/08/2005)

INTERMEDIATE: Aged 11 – 13 years (Date of Birth 01/09/1998 – 31/08/2001)

SENIOR: Aged 14 – 17 years. (Date of Birth 01/09/1994 – 31/08/1998)

Consequently, at the time of the competition, in the Junior section some entries may be aged 11, in the Intermediate 14 and in the Senior 18.

An amanuensis may be used if the entrant has difficulty with motor control – this means that the letter may be dictated to someone who records it on paper.

3. Competition

The theme for 2012-13 is “Peace” with entrants choosing their own topic within the theme.  Peace can mean any one of the following and more:

·         State of harmony between people

·         Freedom of thought and speech

·         Making Mum smile

·         State that exists during absence of war

·         Security and confidence in future

·         Burying the hatchet after a quarrel

·         Self determination

Entries are to be in the form of a letter written to anyone living dead or yet to be born and should begin not with the author’s address but  “Dear……………………………”

The letter should not exceed one side of A4 and can be handwritten or typed.

4. Disclaimers and parental consent should be written and signed on the reverse of the letter in the following manner:

I, …………………………………of …………………………………………… school/college,

declare that this letter is entirely my own work.

My date of birth is ………………………

My local Rotary Club is a member of Mid Herts Rotary.

Signed:……………………………………….Dated……………………………….

“I give permission for this letter to be reproduced in any format and for the author’s likeness to be used for promotional purposes within Rotary”

Parent/Guardian’s signature………………………………….

Address:………………………………………………………………………………………

Phone number: ………………………… e-mail: …………………………………….

5. Format and judging

The panel will consist of three judges, with at least one person independent of Rotary.  The judges will have relevant experience in literature, journalism or related areas.

Entries will be judged on:-

• Imagination relative to the subject

• Ability to engage interest

• Ability to be consistent in the power of argument

All decisions by the judges are final.

6.  Entries   All entries must be submitted  by 27th March 2013 to 

Mike Thorpe, 115 Park Avenue, POTTERS BAR, EN6 5EW

or by email to   mike@mailord.co.uk

Entries will not be returned unless specifically requested.

7. Uniformity of Procedure

These rules apply strictly to the Mid Herts Rotary competition. There may be minor variations at the district stage of the competition, but it will be run along the same lines.

8. Prizes

Certificates will be awarded to all participants and the winners will receive prizes in the form of tokens. For the District competition, certificates and prizes are at the discretion of the district organisers.

For the RIBI final, all entrants will receive a certificate and the winners will be given appropriate awards including a fountain pen from “Cross Pens”.

In addition, the RIBI winners in each age group will be invited to read their letters on BBC radio accompanied by a parent or guardian.

9. Publicity

The winning letters will remain the property of the authors. They may be displayed however in ‘Rotary Today’ magazine, used for or in Rotary promotional materials and shown on the RIBI website stating the winner’s age group.