2017 Western Region Student Writing Contests
Utah Valley University, in collaboration with the ABC Western Region, invites undergraduate students to enter the Western Region 2017 Student Writing Contests by responding to one or both cases. A panel of academic readers will review all qualifying entries and using the criteria below, select up to six contest finalists for each case. Then, a panel of business professionals will read the finalists’ entries and select the winning responses. At ABC’s 2017 Western Region Conference in Orem, Utah, winners will be announced and cash prizes will be awarded. The first-place winner will receive $500, the second-place winner will receive $300, and the third-place winner will receive $200. Cash awards have been funded by the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University.
Criteria
All submissions will be evaluated on the following criteria.
Content
- Demonstrates thorough and focused understanding of context and audience.
- Expresses and executes the document’s purpose clearly.
- Employs sound logic supported by complete, accurate, and useful data, definitions, examples, and illustrations.
- Has a consistent point of view and mood.
Organization
- Provides a clear and accurate expression of the document’s organization and purpose.
- Uses effective and appropriately ordered headings and subheadings as needed to guide readers through the document.
- Applies emphasis techniques, topic sentences, and reader cues to lead readers quickly and easily to critical ideas and data.
- Contains effective, well-placed transitions.
Style
- Employs carefully composed sentences and paragraphs.
- Uses language that is unbiased and completely respectful of reader’s time, needs, and feelings.
- Uses the best words for the context and audience.
- Demonstrates detailed, error-free attention to grammar, punctuation, abbreviation, capitalization, number use, and spelling—using these mechanics to clarify the text and make it easy to read.
Information for Instructors
Utah Valley University’s writing contest is open to undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in a business school and who are declared business (or business department) majors. Instructors must be active members of ABC, and each instructor is welcome to enter two students per competition. Students must work independently to prepare responses; team entries will not be considered. Submission are due February 28, 2017, at midnight.
For student entries to be considered, at least one representative from those students’ school MUST attend the ABC Western Region conference at UVU in 2017.
Click here for the submission form.