Conducting an essay is fun, but not all the time. Why so ? Because it requires a lot of dedication and hard work and not only that, it requires energy, patience and time, which most people lack nowadays. By the way, have you ever thought about planning an essay writing contest? And moreover, have you ever thought about conducting it as an online competition? If yes, here are some of the best ideas on how to plan an essay writing contest.
Step 1 : The very first step is to establish the basic guidelines, rules and the judgement criteria for your contest. And then, choose a topic for your essay contest and make sure it’s relevant and interesting. You can also give a few topics to your participants and can ask them to choose anyone among them for the contest.
So now, here are a few examples of planning your guidelines, rules and the judgement criteria.
Guidelines:
Language : English/ Tamil
Category: Two (Junior, and Senior Category)
Junior Category- Below 14 years
Senior Category- Above 14 years
Age Limit – No age Limit
No registration is required.
Rules :
The minimum word count for the essay is 750 and there is no maximum word count.
Essays must be submitted before the deadline.
Plagiarism is strictly not allowed.
Judgement criteria :
Dear Participants! All of your essays will be judged based on your writing style, creativity and your involvement in writing the essay. And it’s kindly advised to write your own essay rather than just copying from the Internet. Remember, It’s not about winning or losing, it’s all about your valuable participation and it’s all about improving your writing skills. Good luck!
Step 2 :
The next step is to be open and to seek help from organizations and people who are ready to help you with the contest as it consists of so many minor parts that need help from volunteers, especially in advertising for the contest, making fliers, posters and making the Judge Panels.
Step 3 :
The next step is all about the judges. Make sure you invite established authors, writers and teachers as your judges as it can help in the overall development of the contest.
Step 4 :
This is the most interesting and important step in planning an essay writing contest. Reward your participants, because it is where people are motivated to participate in any contest that matters. Apart from the three main ordinary prizes, such as First, Second and Third, you can also group the essays under the category of, Outstanding, and special entries, highly appreciated entries, etc. This can encourage various people to actively participate in the contest and can encourage them to participate further in the future competitions. And apart from that, be clear about what prizes your participants will be competing for. For example, you can use non-material gift cards such as coupons and gift cards and you can also use material ones such as trophies and shields.
Step 5 :
Advertisements ! Advertisements! In this fast-pacing world, advertisements have become a part of every individual’s life. You cannot find a single place without any advertisement, so advertise as much as you can, through social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram to reach out to more people.
And it’s highly recommended to use canva for making the best posters. And apart from this, you can also use websites which can promote your contest. So, one such website is Mota chasma, an educational website which notifies competitions and Scholarships for all school / college students. On the other hand, you can seek help from various sponsors who are ready to help you with the contest.
Step 6 :
Never make your participants feel pressurized, as you are already aware that all people require some time and energy to do whatever they do, so make sure you give enough time to your participants and promote the essay contest ahead of time.
Step 7 :
If you have an official website of your own, add the official statement of the essay contest. This can help you to avoid unclarified doubts and assumptions of the participants in the future.
Last, but not least, here is a tip for planning an essay writing contest.
Rather than conducting the contest as an offline competition, it’s better that you conduct it as an online competition, to save time and energy. And moreover, never fail to appreciate and encourage your participants through your comments on their essays.
