Sweetwater County School District #1

October 6, 2020

Hello,

It is that time of year again. The Young Authors contest for the 2020-2021 school year is beginning. Let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Tammy Macy, and I am the district coordinator for the contest. I am the Curriculum and Assessment Specialist at the Central Administration Building. I can be reached at 352-3400 ext. 1259, at home 389-2415 or by email macyt@sw1.k12.wy.us. Please do not hesitate to contact me at anytime with questions that you may have. I would like to say that I am excited to be helping in this process and look forward to receiving the entries from your students. I am asking that you encourage all of your students to participate in this wonderful experience.

Let me begin by giving you some general information. The contest is open to all students in grades Kindergarten through 12^th grade. Fiction, nonfiction and poetry entries will be accepted. The deadline for entries to reach me is January 15, 2021. This will give the scorers time to score the entries and get them to the County committee. I have attached all the necessary forms you will need for your students’ entries. I have only given you one master copy so please make as many copies as you need. I have also attached the County guidelines for the contest. I would encourage you to read over them very carefully to ensure that your students meet all of the requirements. We will be sending one entry representing fiction, nonfiction and poetry from each grade level.

I want to touch base on some of the common mistakes so that no entries will be disqualified.

• Fiction/Nonfiction books may not exceed 4,000 words. If it is over 3,000 words a word count must accompany the entry.
• A book of poetry may either be an epic poem or a collection of five (exactly) poems, and must include a table of contents.
• A book of poems should not include the word poem in the title.
• An author’s name should not appear on the book.
• All books should be in book form and no larger than 9” x 12”.
• All books should have a front cover with a title, and a back cover, which is not part of the text.
• A Young Author entry form must be included with the entry. If you do not want to attach it to the work, you can use a library pocket card.

 Judging at both the district and county level will be based upon the 6+1^TM Trait writing model. At the District Level, certificates will be awarded to one First, Second and Third place books per grade, per category. At the County Level, certificates will be awarded to one First place and two honorable mentions books per grade, per category. At the State Level, certificates will be awarded to one First Place and two Honorable Mention books per grade, per category. The district celebration will be held at Rock Springs Junior High School’s Auditorium on February 17^th at 6:00 p.m. The county celebration will be held at Rock Springs Junior High School’s Auditorium in Rock Springs on March 3^rd at 6:30 p.m. Please note that this is pending COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. More information will follow as the dates approach.

If you would like more information or you have questions you can contact me.

I look forward to reading your students’ entries.

Sincerely,

Tammy Macy