3rd Annual PVAMU Toni Morrison Creative Writing Contest
Prairie View A&M University Invites 2024 Graduating High School Seniors who have completed no more than 15 semester hours of transferable credits to Submit Original Works for a Chance to Win Scholarships. Write your original poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction. Write at least four (4) pages and no more than eight (8) pages. Poetry may be single- spaced. Fiction and creative non-fiction must be double-spaced. Be sure the writing is your own.
How much cash can you win?
For poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction:
- 1st Place $4,000
- 2nd Place $3,000
- 3rd Place $2,000
What about college scholarships?
A cash and a scholarship combined award. In the Fall of 2024, one quarter of the amount you win will be given directly to you and one quarter will be sent to the Office for Student Financial Aid as a scholarship to help with your tuition and fees. In the Spring of 2025, another one fourth will be given directly to you and the final one fourth will be sent to the Office for Student Financial Aid as a scholarship to help pay for your tuition and fees.
What to write about?
As Dr. Tomikia P. LeGrande began her tenure as 9th President of Prairie View A&M University, where “excellence lives,” she set forth three pillars on which the planning and advancement of the University will be built: (1) Significance -–richness and respect for the past; (2) Relevance -–purpose and reason for existence; and (3) Eminence—promise of greater distinction in the future. Reflect, think, ponder, question, embrace these pillars and the various messages each sends. Write poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction ( essay, white paper, et cetera) that is motivated and stimulated by the messages and meanings that occur to you as you ponder one or more of the pillars. In short, be inventive and creative in a manner that represents your voice as a writer.
Which genres are included (Only One)?
Poetry
Fiction
Creative Non-fiction ( essays, white papers, et cetera)
How much do I write?
Enter the contest in one genre. Select the one that shows you at your best. Write at least four (4) pages but no more than eight (8) pages. Poetry may be single-spaced. Fiction and creative non-fiction ( essay, white paper, et cetera) must be double -spaced. Be sure that the writing is your own and not someone else’s including that of Generative Artificial Intelligence . The judges will check. If you use information from another author or source, be sure to properly cite the source. You may consult one of your teachers or school’s librarians for assistance in properly citing sources in your writing.
Which print type is accepted?
Times New Roman
Which file type is acceptable?
Microsoft WORD (doc or docx)
How do I submit my writing?
Complete the submission form at click the Apply Now button. On the form, be sure to supply an email and a phone number at which you may be contacted between May 1 to June 1, 2024. All entries must be submitted online. Entries must be submitted no later than 11:00pm Friday May 17, 2024.
If you experience a problem with submission, contact Dr. Glenn Shaheen at glshaheen@pvamu.edu or Dr. E. Joahanne Thomas-Smith at ejthomas-smith@pvamu.edu