The QF’s Twelfth Annual High School Seniors English Essay Contest

Deadline                       :February 14, 2017

Program information

To promote effective writing by, about, and/or for queer youth, Queer foundation offers to the winners of the twelfth annual high school seniors English essay contest $1,000 scholarships to attend the U.S. college or university of their choice in the 2017–18 academic year to study queer theory or related fields. Examples of related fields are queer medical, legal, or social issues.

Eligibility

• The contest is open only to students aged 18 and under who have not yet graduated from high school.
• You must affirm that you are not a high school graduate (as of the date you submit your essay).
• In addition you must affirm that the essay you submit has not been submitted elsewhere—e.g., for a class assignment or another contest; as part of a college or job application; or for a scholarship, prize, or grant.
• All entries become the property of Queer Foundation.
• Winners must agree to the use by Queer Foundation of their names, images, and biographical information in promotional efforts related to the Queer Foundation Effective Writing and Scholarships Programs.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Your essay should be 3–5 pages long, 10 pages max.
2. Be creative.
3. Links to essays from previous years’ contests are online at http://queerfoundation.org/.
4. Judges will award points based on;

• originality (i.e., do you present a unique perspective?)
• accuracy (i.e., is your information credible? are names, events, places, titles, etc., correct?)
• objectivity (i.e., do you provide insight on contemporary society?)
• effectiveness (i.e., is your essay realistic and convincing?)
• motivation (i.e., do you make it clear why your topic is important?)
• usage (i.e., is your grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation correct?)

HINT: Use spellcheck, and remember that it does not identify all errors. Be sure to reread several times, and have another read your essay as well to catch mistakes you as the author can’t see. Pay special attention to sentence fragments, run-on sentences, needing a new paragraph, etc. If your essay contains numerous spelling and writing errors, it cannot win.

When you close webpage, your responses will not be saved. Here is how to avoid losing your work:

• Fill in all responses in one sitting.
• Click the “Submit Application” button to send your information to Queer Foundation.
• Follow the on-screen directions that appear after you submit your information.

Theme

The theme of the contest is pink ink (“We write not only about different things; we also write differently”—Brecht).

The following approaches are suggestions only.

• We’re Here and We’re Queer: Interviews with Queer Teenagers and Their Friends
• Living Healthy Lives as Queer Teenagers
• Queer Youth around the World
• Getting Smart: Education Issues of Queer Teenagers

Application Process

http://queerfoundation.org/html/scholarship_application/

Problems with your application?

If you are having problems submitting the application, e-mail at queerfoundation@queerfoundation.org so that they can help you with application.