Write-On!

What is WriteOn?  WriteOn is an international creative writing competition run by Peace Corps Volunteers. The competition is already in its 12th year with over 9 countries participating. Students from grades 6 to university level can participate. They choose from a list of prompts and have 1 hour to write a response in English without assistance from dictionaries/teachers/the Internet, etc. Essays are judged based on creativity, not grammar/spelling. Last year in Cambodia, we had 800 students participate and one student placed 2nd internationally in the Grade 11 category!

How Does it Work? Volunteers send the entries from local competions to the national organizers. The WriteOn Competition is judged first on a national level, then internationally. First, prompts are sent from the international headquarters to the PCV organizers in a specific country. National judging is conducted by PCVs and host country nationals. National winning essays are then sent to the international headquarters in Georgia for final judging.

Where? Volutneers host competitions locally at their sites. They must supervise the students to ensure that they write for exactly 1 hour and are not given assistance.

When? 

Competitions at PCVs sites begin in Febuary or March.

Why? The WriteOn Competition is a way to reward students for thinking creatively and critically. The prompts challenge students to use their imagination to tell a story, an opportunity that they are not often given in the regular school curriculum.