CriteriaforJudgingEssaysintheCreativeWritingCompetition2013

In2013apercentsystemwillbeappliedinanefforttostreamlinethewritingcompetitionandtomake
judging less subjective, and more easily understood. Each essay should initially be read by 23 judges
still,andthefollowingcriteriashouldbeapplied:

Creativity 40%
Structure 20%
AdherencetoTopic 10%
Grammar 10%
Length 10%
Wow!factor 10%
TOTAL: 100%

These criteria are discussed at length below. For every 10% of the score, there is a corresponding
question to be answeredif the answer to thequestion is yes, then that 10% should be awarded. If
theanswerisno,thenitshouldnot.

After the essays have been read once by 23 judges, those essays that receive an average of 80% or
better should pass on to the second reading. (Those that do not will simply receive certificates of
participation.) Inthesecond reading, thejudgesshouldreadalltop 20% essays aloud, and engagein a
measureddiscussionoftheircontentandvaluebeforevotingonthefirst,second,andthirdplaceessays
foreachgradelevel.

DescriptionofCriteria

40%Creativity
Although this is the most difficult thing to measure, it remains the focus of the competition and the
most important aspect to take into account when grading essays. The goal is to reward students who
display the ability to think outside the boxthat is, those who provide something other than
formulaicanswers,andwhocandosoinanovelorunusualway.Herearethecheckpointstousefora
trulycreativeessayinthiscompetition:

(10%)Doesthisessayexpressideasnotcommonlyfoundintheotheressays?Yes/No
(10%)Doesthisessayanswerthequestioninanunexpectedway?Yes/No
(10%)Doesthisessaydisplayalotofthoughtonbehalfofthestudentwritingit?Yes/No
(10%)Doesthisessayaddressthetopicinawaythatmakesthereaderthink?Yes/No

20%Structure
The way in which an essay is organized helps make it more easily understood and appreciated. High
schoolessaysthatare,forexample,justonelongparagraphwithnovisualbreaksarebothhardonthe
eyes and display a lack of maturity in composition. (However, exceptions may be made for younger
students,suchasthosein6
th
and7
th
grade.)

(10%)Isthisessayorganizedinacomprehensibleway?Yes/No
(10%)Iftheessayadherestoatraditionalformat,isthereaclearbeginning,middle,andendor
introduction,body,andconclusion?Yes/No

10%AdherencetoTopic
Sometimes essays are cleverly written, but they actually have little to do with the given topic. While
creative essays should be able to find many unusual ways to answer a question (questions can be
answeredasessays,stories,dialog,andsoon),theyshouldstill,insomeway,obviouslyrespondtothe
chosentopic.

(10%)Doesthisessay,inonewayoranother,addressthetopicathand?Yes/No

10%Grammar
Althoughgoodgrammarisimportantandshouldnotgounrewarded,thegoalofthiscompetitionisto
encourage creative thinking, not drive students to worry about their verb conjugation orspelling. That
said,aslongasthegrammarisunderstandableanddoesnothinderareadersabilitytocomprehendthe
essay,this10%shouldbeawarded.

(10%)Isthegrammarofthisessaycorrectenoughthattheessayiseasytounderstand?
Yes/No

10%Length
There is no word maximum or minimum in the competition; however, most essays that are deemed
worthyofasecondreadingshouldnotbetooshort(i.e.,onlyafewsentences).Thiswilldependmostly
onthestudentsageandgrade;forexample,a12
th
gradersessayshouldideallybeatleast2timesas
longasthosewrittenbymost6
th
graders.

(10%)Istheessayofanappropriatelengthforthegradelevelofthestudentwritingit?
Yes/No

10%Wow!factor
Thisportioniswherepointsareawardedforexceptionalessaysthosethatdisplayanincredibleuseof
vocabulary,cleverideas,maturestyle,advancedEnglishforthewritersgradelevel,andsoon.This10%
istobeawardedonlytoessaysthattrulyimpressthereaders,andtheseessaysshouldlikelymakeitto
thesecondreadingsession.

(10%)Doesthisessaywowthereaderforonereasonoranother?Yes/No

Forfurtherinformation,contactvhoughsnee@peacecorps.gov.