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The Stark-Tinkham Writing Contest at PUC returns for its 39th year and will accept electronic or manuscript entries until 5 p.m. on April 6.
In total, the contest offers 24 categories that range from poetry to non-fiction essays. Both graduate and undergraduate students are invited to participate in core and special categories. On average, the contest draws in about 220 submissions according to Colin Fewer, Stark-Tinkham organizational committee chairman and associate professor of English.
An awards ceremony will be held in YJean Chambers Hall at 7 p.m. on April 30 to celebrate the winners. Though winners are notified that they will receive an award, they do not find out what they have won until the ceremony. Nicole Louise Reid, author and University of Southern Indiana creative writing instructor, will be featured as the keynote speaker at the event.
While a majority of the entries are products of students in the school of liberal arts and social sciences, Fewer said judges receive submissions from a multitude of departments. In particular, the poetry category generally boasts such diversity.
Fewer said the contest’s open eligibility to students of all majors stresses the importance of developing strong writing skills for the future.
“Just as a citizen is called to take the stage to share a point of view, it also happens in the workplace that you need to establish a vision articulately with clear and powerful language,” Fewer said.
Faculty Advisor Janine Harrison, who teaches fiction, non-fiction and creative writing classes, also encourages her writing students to participate in the contest. In an interview with Harrison, she emphasized the necessity for writers to experience evaluation.
“It’s a competitive field with rejection left and right. It’s important for them to know that what they do is of worth,” Harrison said.
This is the first year where submissions in any category can be made by email or hard copy. Students who wish to submit their work to the contest can find the rules on the department of English and philosophy’s Stark-Tinkham page online or in the Classroom Office Building Room 216.
The three-week judging process consists of volunteer judges who review all the entries in their designated category. Instead of following a strict rubric, judges create their own standards for evaluation. Critiques are also guided by the required language and subject matter of the category.
Fewer wishes to continue the legacy of PUC Professor of English Charles Tinkham, who remained devoted to and organized the contest for many years after Sigrid Stark inaugurated it in 1973. He hopes that students share his passion for the contest.
“Do the best you can. Write from the heart,” Fewer said.