Teen Corner

Minerva Campbell Literary Contest

The Minerva Campbell Awards are presented to students exhibiting literary ability. This annual prose and poetry competition is conducted for Middle School and Senior High School students attending Rush-Henrietta Central Schools and students who reside in Henrietta and attend school elsewhere.

There are two (2) divisions with separate categories in each division.

Division 1. Senior Division – grades 9 through 12

Division 2. Junior Division - grades 6 through 8

The Henrietta Public Library Board of Trustees, which sponsors the contest in honor of its first president, appoints a committee of judges to select the winners within each division. The first place winner in each category will receive a $50 prize; the second place winner in each category will receive a $30 prize; the third place winner in each category will receive a $20 prize and the honorable mention winner in each category will receive a $15 prize. Prizes are awarded at the discretion of the judges. The first place winners’ names will be engraved on the Minerva Campbell plaque displayed in each school, or in the Henrietta Public Library in the case of a non-public school student. The contest is funded by the Friends of the Henrietta Public Library.

Rules

1. The contest is open to all students in grades 6 through 12 who attend school in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District and students who reside in Henrietta and attend school elsewhere. Students in grades 6, 7 and 8 compete in the Junior Division.
   Copies of these rules are available at the school libraries in each middle school, the high school and the Henrietta Public Library.
2. The literary form of the entry must be prose (short story or essay) or poetry.
3. Subject matter is unrestricted.
4. Entry requirements are as follows
1. Must be the original work of the contestant.
2. Must be handwritten in ink, or typed. If you are a winner,
   you must submit your entry in electronic form to minervacampbell@yahoo.com if you wish to see it posted to the Henrietta Public Library web site as a winning entry. Please put the title of the work in the subject field of the email.
3. Standardsize notebook or typed paper must be used.
4. Essays must be a minimum of 250 words.
5. Must have a separate cover page indicating name of student, school, and title of entry. Name of school and title of entry should appear on work itself, but not name of student.
6. Must not have been written as classroom work or subject assignment.
5. 1. No more than three (3) entries may be submitted by any one student.
   2. No more than one (1) award may be won by any one student.
6. Entries are to be submitted to the school librarian of either Rush-Henrietta Middle School, the Rush-Henrietta Senior High School, the Rush-Henrietta Ninth Grade Academy or to the Reference Librarian at the Henrietta Public Library.
7. Contest begins Monday, February 11, 2008 and ends Monday, March 17, 2008, at 4:00 p.m.
8. Criteria for judging are originality, clarity and good English usage.
9. All entries become the property of the Henrietta Public Library. Students are advised to make a copy before submitting their entry.

10. Winners will be announced at the award assemblies at each school.
    Pictures of the winners will be taken at 4:30 p.m. Monday, June 9, 2008 at
    the Henrietta Public Library.