The Peru Gazette

Adirondack Center for Writing and Adirondack Voters for Change are proud to announce a new regional essay writing contest: My Dreams for My Community. The contest offers winners cash prizes totaling $1,400 for a five-page essay on the topics of community and change. Submissions are open now until June 15, 2023.

This contest aims to amplify the voices and concerns of young people living in the North Country region. The essay guidelines direct writers to “Define your community; say what you care about; and offer ideas for change.” To support writers as they draft their essays, the organizers have provided guiding questions such as, “What concerns does your community have?” “What would you and your community like to see changed about politics or culture?”, “If you could run things, how would you do it differently?” and “When you dream of the world you want, what do you see?” Answering each of these questions is not a requirement; the prompts are simply meant to get writers thinking about a subject, a perspective, and a central argument.

Two groups are invited to submit essays of up to 5 pages: Group 1: ages 13-18, and Group 2: ages 19-25. Pages should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12pt font. Both groups will be judged by a panel of professional writers, educators, and community members. The contest is open to those living in the counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Northern Herkimer/Old Forge area, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Northern Washington. Prizes will be awarded for each age group as follows: $400 for First Place, $200 for Second Place, $100 for Third Place, and 3 Honorable Mentions.

The winning essays will be selected in July, and all applicants will be notified then. The contest will culminate in a celebration reading at ACW on Monday, July 24th, at 7 PM. To submit an essay, writers will need to [1] fill out this form (available on ACW website) and [2] email their essay as a PDF or Word document to info@adirondackcenterforwriting.org. Emails should be titled:  “Essay Contest Submission: [your name].”

“The idea for this writing contest came up during a conversation with AVfC members about how we could reach out to younger North Country residents to find out what they think is important and meaningful in the communities in which they live,” says Jim Abendroth of Adirondack Voters for Change. “We wanted to give younger writers the opportunity to voice their feelings about whatever they consider their personal community to be, whether that is their school, their work, or the spaces in which they build relationships with friends and family. We welcome writers to express how they discover and understand love and kindness, as well as hatred and meanness. Writers can be sure that what they write will be read by people who respect their efforts, and some will be rewarded for their excellence and creativity, not only with a financial reward but with the opportunity to share their visions publicly with others who yearn to hear what they have to say.”