We are delighted to announce the winner of the inaugural (2021) George Duncan Essay contest is Davina Sienkiewicz, a senior at High Mowing School, for her essay: Plastics: Their Rise and Fall From Favor. Congratulations, Davina!
You can read Davina’s wonderful essay here: Winning Essay
The Monadnock Writers’ Group is pleased to announce a high school essay contest established to honor the memory of George Duncan. George was an award-winning marketing copywriter and author, and an avid writer of political commentary. He served as President of the Monadnock Writers’ Group (MWG) and was a long-time board member.
The submission period for the George Duncan Essay Contest begins December 1, 2020 and closes February 1, 2021. MWG will award the contest winner a prize of $100.00 and invite the winner and any runner-ups to read their essays at an MWG general meeting in the spring of 2021. One or more local newspapers are expected to publish the winning essay.
Eligibility:
The contest is open to students in grades 9 through 12 who attend public, private, and home-schools in the following towns:
Chesterfield, Harrisville, Keene, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Westmoreland, Stoddard, Surry, Winchester, Acworth, Alstead, Walpole, Charlestown, Langdon, Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Richmond, Roxbury, Swanzey, Troy, Sullivan, Antrim, Dublin, Peterborough, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Bennington, Sharon, Temple, Jaffrey, Rindge, Greenville, New Ipswich, Mason, Wilton, Lyndeborough, and Milford
Essay prompt:
Select a political issue that is currently in the news. Write a persuasive, fact-based analysis of the issue using a civil tone. Write it in the style of an op-ed piece.
Submission instructions:
- Essay length should be at least 500 words and no more than 800 words.
- Submit your essay to gduncanessay@gmail.com by February 1, 2021.
- Include your name, school, email address, and your essay in the body of the email.
- To ask any questions, please email gduncanessay@gmail.com.
Judging:
Please note that writers’ names will be removed from essays prior to review by the judge.
Keene State College professor Jeff Halford will judge the essays.
Jeff Halford teaches communication and philosophy at Keene State College. He holds an M.A. in Speech Communication from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Arizona.
For any questions, please visit http://monadnockwriters.org or email gduncanessay@gmail.com.
Monadnock Writers' Group 