How Do You Judge A Writing Contest?
Every year, I am the children’s writing coordinator and co-judge for the Saturday Writers Third- and Fourth-Grade Writing Contest. It has been a treat, and I have been honored to read some great, creative stories over the years. Sometimes, it is very difficult to choose a story among several great entries. But there has to be a clear winner. The following steps will help you pick a winning piece if you are ever lucky enough to be a judge! Read each entry and sort them immediately into three piles based on your first impression. I will also write either a 1, 2, or 3 on the entry in case my piles ever get mixed together. Entries marked with a one mean they are excellent and could easily be a winner. The twos had some good elements, but they didn’t catch my attention fully. Threes mean I’m glad they took the time to enter, but for some reason, the piece did not catch my attention, and I probably wouldn’t award it a prize. Read the ones and twos again. Make three piles again, marking anoth
