The BYU English department is calling all writers to participate in the Writers Portfolio Contest that has until recently been available only to BYU students.
The contest considers several aspects of a writer’s abilities and requires the submission of a variety of writing samples from f
ive genres: scholarly paper, technical paper, popular/informative article, fiction/drama and poetry.
One of these items must be accepted for publication in a professional forum. The competition is specifically for full-time students at BYU and UVU.
With a deadline of March 1 it may be difficult to compile such a varied portfolio in a short amount of time. Scott Hatch, UVU assistant professor of English, pointed out that though it would be very gratifying for a UVU student to win the contest. They are interested in getting the word out to candidates interested in competing next year.
“There are very few applicants that apply due to the lack of having a well-rounded portfolio,” said Hatch. This is actually beneficial to those that enter the contest because they have a greater chance of winning.
Hatch pointed out that “every time you add a genre, the group size drops” because many writers tend to focus in their specific area of interest and may not have writing samples from the required five genres. It is never a bad idea to be adept at several writing styles. Hatch stated that “balance is very healthy for a writer.”
A little healthy competition is never a bad thing so if you are a writer and meet the requirements of the contest don’t hesitate to apply. You just might bring home the gold for UVU.
For complete information contact Hatch at hatchsc@uvu.edu or pick up an information sheet in the English department (LA 114).
