PSR Peace Writing Contest Now Open

Greenfield Prize to be awarded to high school juniors and seniors

Update: April 1, 2010. The three winners have been notified. We will announce them shortly. Thanks to all who participated!

Update: March 1, 2010. The 2010 Peace Writing Contest is now closed. Thanks to the nearly 200 Oregon High School students who submitted their thoughtful entries for this year's contest. Our judges will review all the entries and the three winners will be notified in early April.

Find out more and purchase your tickets to the awards dinner!

With great pleasure, PSR Oregon is announcing our second annual Greenfield Peace Writing Contest, named for Del Greenfield, our first executive director. We are sponsoring this writing contest in order to encourage Oregon’s youth to consider their role in promoting peace, thus creating a safer world for us all.

Announcement and Instructions for the
2010 Greenfield Peace Writing Contest
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Eligibility:  Eleventh and twelfth grade Oregon high school students.

Topic:  In a world where we struggle with wars, injustice, violence in our communities and the threat of environmental devastation...what does peace mean to you?

Format:  Essays, poems or fiction with a 600 word limit. Email your submission as a pdf file, or submit by US mail.  Entries will be judged on originality, writing quality, overall impact and relevance to the topic.

Entries MUST be exclusively the work of the author.
 
Procedure for submissions: Submit the entry form with your written entry. Ask a teacher or school official to sign the form. [Note that since the form requires signatures, you will have to print the entry form and fill it out. You can then either scan it in and email it with your entry, or put the form and your entry in the US mail. Entries sent by US mail must be postmarked by March 1.]

Awards:  First prize      $1,000
              Second prize  $750
              Third prize     $500

The three winning writers will also receive a year’s membership in the Oregon Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility and a signed certificate.The first place entry will be read at the awards dinner on April 10, 2010.

Deadline for submissions:  March 1, 2010.

Email submissions are preferred.

Email your writing submission as a pdf along with the entry form to: kelly@oregonpsr.org
 
or  mail your entry to:
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
812 SW Washington St.  #1050, Portland, Oregon 97205

Winners to be notified:  By April 1, 2010.

Awards dinner:  April 10, 2010 at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon

Judges:   These individuals, who represent various facets of our community, have kindly agreed to judge this year’s entries:
• Salma Ahmad, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Portland
• Ronault “Polo” Catalani, poet and civil rights attorney/coordinator in Portland’s office of human rights
• Michael Crenshaw, poet, hip-hop artist and educator
• Ursula Le Guin, noted author of many genres
• Elizabeth Schwarz, president of the Oregon Area Jewish Committee

Please call the PSR office at 503-274-2720 or email kelly@oregonpsr.org with any questions. 

Download the entry form (pdf).

Download a flyer about the contest (pdf).