Stories, essays, and poems have been a means of human expression since the early days of communication. Short stories have evolved in various genres like realism, science fiction, horror, romance, fantasy, and mystery, yet they always evoke strong emotions and engage our intellect, creating powerful and transformative experiences.
Short stories can belong to any style or genre, and judges are looking for narratives that have a unified impact and distinctive voices.
Essays are like intimate conversations between the writer and the reader. Readers get to listen in on the writer’s thoughts and reflections, witnessing their attempts to offer fresh perspectives on their own experiences. Essays have the ability to bridge the gap between what is and what could be.
Poetry has the power to inspire. Poetic images can be either literal or metaphorical, and poets can distill facts or expand into the realm of imagination. Poets use form and style to emphasize their content, and the end result aims to move the reader emotionally or intellectually. Poems can take any form or style but should use imagery and clear expression to elicit a reader’s emotional or intellectual response.
The topics of this year’s IGO are
Type of Works:
- Essay
- Poem
- Short Story
UNPUBLISHED ORIGINAL WORK
For this contest, only unpublished work is acceptable.
Judging
Judging is anonymous. The submission cover page must include the participant’s name and contact information, but not any entry.
The judges for the preliminary round will initially evaluate each entry before choosing the finalists. Finally, the judges, who are experts in their fields, will select the winning submissions.
Length:
- Essay and short story : The word count of 2000 words or less shall be strictly followed.
- Poem: There can be a max of 50 lines.
The quality and subject of the writing will be evaluated rather than its length.
Format:
English must be typed in double spacing. In addition, there must be a unique cover page for each entry.
The work’s title must appear on the first page of each entry, but the author’s name must not appear anywhere in the text to ensure that the judging of the entries is blind.
Remember:
It is an individual competition. Therefore, the students cannot participate in a team.
Judging Criteria
| Introduction | Strong introduction that draws the reader into the story at the beginning. | 10 |
| Characterization | Creates realistic and recognized personalities. | 15 |
| Setting and Plot | Clearly explains the setting of the story and incorporates fundamental components of a narrative text to advance the plot. | 10 |
| Narrative Arcs and Structure | Creates multiple narrative arcs and divides the story into distinct sections. | 10 |
| Vocabulary and Sentence Variety | Uses appropriate vocabulary and a mixture of simple, compound, and complex sentences. | 15 |
| Purpose and Time Sequence Devices | Demonstrates understanding of the text’s purpose and shows the link between events and time using time sequence devices. | 10 |
| Grammar and Punctuation | Correctly punctuates sentences, makes suitable use of tenses, and spells words correctly. | 10 |
| Indentation and Sentence Length | Paragraphs are correctly indented and avoids using long sentences. | 5 |
| Title | Provides an original and appropriate title | 5 |
| Relevance to SDGs | An essay, story, or poem connects meaningfully to one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and serves to raise awareness, educate, or present a creative solution. | 10 |