Wayne College Writing Competitions Accepting Entries

The University of Akron Wayne College is accepting entries for its writing awards competitions through Friday, Dec. 10 at 4 p.m.  The competitions encourage and recognize excellence in creative writing at Wayne College and the areas it serves. 

This year marks the 11^th annual Student Writing Awards for area high school and Wayne College students.  The competition typically draws between 400-500 entries from schools in Wayne, Holmes, and Medina counties. High school and Wayne College students will compete in their own categories and may submit original works of poetry, short story, and personal essay. There is no entry fee for students.

The Regional Writing Awards were added in 2007 for writers age 18 and over (and not students of the College or area high schools) for original works of poetry, short story, and non-fiction (essay, memoir, etc.) that have not been previously published. There is a $5 entry fee.

Prize levels for each category in each competition include $100 for first place; $75 for second, and $50 for third.  Winners will be notified in March 2011 and will be recognized at the Writers Workshop and Awards event on Saturday, April 2 at Wayne College.

The Writer of the Year Award, introduced in 2008 recognizes excellence and achievement by a published writer who resides in Wayne, Holmes, or Medina counties.  The achievement may be for a lifetime of work or for a recent success.  Previous winners of this award include David Klein, Joanne Lehman, and Bob Adamov.

The nominees may be writers of poetry, short stories, nonfiction, newspaper, magazines or novels.  A published writer may be nominated or may self-nominate for this honor, which includes a distinctive award and a $500 cash prize.  There is no entry fee.

Entry forms and rules are available through local libraries, high school English teachers, 
the Wayne College Smucker Learning Center, or online at http://wayne.uakron.edu/learning-center/writing-center.dot.

Wayne College is a regional campus of The University of Akron and offers the first two years of general bachelor’s degree courses for students who plan to complete their degrees at the Akron campus or other colleges and universities.  The College also offers a bachelor’s degree in organizational supervision that is geared toward students who hold a completed technical program associate degree, as well as numerous professional development courses.