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April 9 – 10, 2022

Student Essay Contest

All students are invited to participate in an essay contest that “Brings Readers and Writers Together.”

Students, write a brief essay about story writing based on questions at your grade level.

Bring your essay responses to the Oaks Mall, Gainesville, FL, on Saturday, April 9, 2022, between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and win a bookworm bookmark. So, bring your Moms and Dads to the Oaks Mall to receive your prize! Don’t forget to take a look at the book sale and meet lots and lots of authors!

Click on your grade range and then print the questions or copy them and paste into a word processor document.

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Essay prompts for Grade Level K – 2

Characters are the people or animals that your story is about. A story could be about a bear, a fish, a king, or even about you. If you wrote a story, what or who would be your main character?

Tell why in three or four sentences.

 

Bring your finished essay to the Oaks Mall, Gainesville, FL, April 9, 2022, between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to receive your prize. If you are unable to come to the Oaks Mall on that date, email your essay to: essay@SunshineStateBookFestival.com

Print out this page or click copy and paste it into your word processor document. ×

Essay prompts for Grade Level 3 – 5

Can you taste words? Can you smell words? Do words have color? Do words feel or hear? Maybe not, but words can make you remember what things taste, smell, sound, feel, and look like. How do you think your personal experiences make your stories original and unique?

Tell about one personal experience that you remember which had taste, sound, feel, smell, or color. One paragraph answer, please.

 

Bring your finished essay to the Oaks Mall, Gainesville, FL, April 9, 2022, between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to receive your prize. If you are unable to come to the Oaks Mall on that date, email your essay to: essay@SunshineStateBookFestival.com

Print out this page or click copy and paste it into your word processor document. ×

Essay prompts for Grade Level 6 – 10

(a) Everyone has a story to share. Some people write mysteries. Some people write fantasies. Some people write about their lives (memoirs). The different forms of writing are called “genres.”

What kind of genre would you like to write? One paragraph answer, please.

(b) The setting is the place where your story happens. The setting could be anywhere!

If you made up a country or world, what would it look like? One paragraph, please.

(c) Historical fiction is about making up characters and setting them in real places in history.

If you wrote a historical fiction story, in what time and place would you set your characters? One paragraph, please.

 

Bring your finished essay to the Oaks Mall, Gainesville, FL, April 9, 2022, between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to receive your prize. If you are unable to come to the Oaks Mall on that date, email your essay to: essay@SunshineStateBookFestival.com

Print out this page or click copy and paste it into your word processor document. ×

Essay prompts for Grade Level 11 – 12

An author’s “voice” is the unique vocabulary, tone, point of view, and syntax used to write.

How does your sensory experience of the world contribute to your “voice” in writing?

Why is it important to share your voice with others?

 

Bring your finished essay to the Oaks Mall, Gainesville, FL, April 9, 2022, between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to receive your prize. If you are unable to come to the Oaks Mall on that date, email your essay to: essay@SunshineStateBookFestival.com

Note: If you can’t get to the Oaks Mall to turn in your essay, don’t worry! You can email your essay and we will email you a Certificate of Achievement.

student with laptop