The evaluators reading the critical papers will be given the following criteria as guidelines:
Content: To what extent is the claim a strong one? How clear is the argument or premise? Does the work have a clear focus? Is the student’s effort thoughtful?
Structure: Is the work organized? Is each main point clear and well placed? Does the work have a clear organizational plan that is appropriate for the topic? Is the reasoning that supports the argument sound?
Originality: Given that this is student work, is this an imaginative or fresh approach to the topic or argument? To what extent is this approach creative? Would this work spark discussion or additional research?
Support: Is the work detailed enough and fully explained? Does the student include research and documentation as needed? Is borrowed material (both paraphrases and quotations) used and documented correctly? How strong is the support, including explanations and borrowed material?
Polish: Are the sentences well crafted? Does the student use appropriate diction? Is the piece well written and free of unintentional grammatical mistakes, typos, or other errors?
The evaluators of the original creative works (non-fiction, poetry, fiction, drama) will be given the following criteria as guidelines. Note that although poetry and flash fiction submissions may be a collection of works, each evaluator will judge the collection as a whole.
Content: Does the work have a clear focus or convey a central image? Does the work have depth of emotional or tonal complexity? How clear are any themes? Is the student’s effort thoughtful?
Structure: Is the work well organized for its genre? Does the work have a clear organizational plan, one that is appropriate for the topic and approach?
Originality: Given that this is student work, is this an imaginative or fresh approach to the topic, theme, or genre? To what extent is this approach creative? Would this work spark discussion or reflection?
Support: Is the work detailed enough? How convincing are the details? How vivid or rich is the imagery? Do the details and explanations create (or recreate) an experience for the reader?
Polish: Are the sentences and phrases well crafted? Does the student use appropriate diction for the subject matter and approach? Is the piece well written and free of unintentional grammatical mistakes, typos, or other errors?
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