Motivate Students by Writing with a Purpose

"Why do we have to do this?"  Teachers would agree this is a common question by students.  What is the purpose of the activities we do with our kids?  When it comes to writing, one natural motivator is to provide an audience for the published product. Students will put more effort into a piece of writing when they know it will be shared with others.  Think of how hard they work on projects when they know parents are coming to school and will see their work for an open house or conferences.  Besides sharing with classmates and parents, students are especially motivated when their work is shared outside the classroom walls.  This is where we can bring innovation into what we do with the creative work students do.

This week I am sharing a list of ideas for publishing writing to a larger audience.  There are websites students can use to publish work and others places for them to win scholarship money and prizes!  This is a short list of the many opportunities out there.  With a quick internet search, you can find many more ideas.

Writing Contests:

Poetic Power is a site where students get published, win prizes, and teachers earn school supplies.

10 Poetry Scholarships for Creative Students has a list of opportunities for students of all ages to receive recognition and scholarship prizes for their work.

Poetry Nation Contest awards over $35,000 to students each year!

Library of Poetry Contest  is open to all students enrolled in grades 3-12. Submissions are accepted year round, and winners are announced every September 30th. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners are selected in each of four divisions and will receive a cash prize and Certificate of Achievement. Check our the website for more prize information.

Online Publishing Resources 
(adapted from the National Writing Project)

Figment is a community where teens can share their writing, connect with other readers, and discover new stories and authors. Whatever teens are into, from sonnets to mysteries, from sci-fi stories to cell phone novels, they can find it here.

Candlelight Stories invites story writers (grades 6–12) and illustrators to submit their work to be published on Candlelight. The site also contains an international gallery of illustrated stories including "Thumbelina" and "Slim Hick—The World's Only Singing Cowboy Ant."

Teen Ink accepts art, poems, stories, personal narratives, college admission essays, and reviews of favorite (and least favorite) movies, books, colleges, and websites for their monthly print and online magazine. 

KidLit, for students in grades K–12, welcomes a poem, a book review, or a short story, sent by email. Previous submissions may be read on the site.