The Baldwin Prize is an essay competition at Baltimore City College High School. Named after the writer and humanitarian James Baldwin, the Prize gives City College students an opportunity, during a pivotal stage of their development, to use the written word to explore their inner lives and how it connects with our shared humanity. The first-place winners in two divisions each receive a $400 educational award.
This year’s theme is empowerment:
“Describe a moment when you felt empowered. This could have arisen from a single event or an ongoing activity. It could be in any setting--social, professional, academic. Why did you feel empowered? What did you do with that power? Did you use it responsibly?”
The Baldwin Prize is looking for judges who can volunteer two to three hours reading and scoring six essays. Judges should be experienced writers and/or avid readers. They will be given a small batch of essays on Friday, March 17, 2017 and asked to submit scores (according to a rubric that will be provided) one week later, by Friday, March 24.
Everyone who volunteers will be invited to an awards ceremony and reading to be held in early April.
The students are inspirational. Some approach the prompt ready with a life-changing moment on which to write. Others say they literally cannot think of one time when they have felt empowered; preparing this essay may be the first time they’ve given the concept real thought. As they talk about it, you can see them evolving in front of your eyes.
To learn more about the prize, go to www.thebaldwinprize.org. You can read last year’s entries on the blog and this year’s submission guidelines on the Participate page. Anyone with questions can also contact Lionel Foster (lionel(at)lionelfoster(dot)com).
To volunteer, please provide your contact information here.
The Baldwin Prize is also looking for writers to lead short consultations with students who are polishing drafts before their final submission. These consultations will take place Friday, March 3 between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. at Baltimore City College High School (3220 The Alameda, Baltimore, Maryland 21218). Writers can work with students for as little as an hour. To volunteer, register here.
This year’s theme is empowerment:
“Describe a moment when you felt empowered. This could have arisen from a single event or an ongoing activity. It could be in any setting--social, professional, academic. Why did you feel empowered? What did you do with that power? Did you use it responsibly?”
The Baldwin Prize is looking for judges who can volunteer two to three hours reading and scoring six essays. Judges should be experienced writers and/or avid readers. They will be given a small batch of essays on Friday, March 17, 2017 and asked to submit scores (according to a rubric that will be provided) one week later, by Friday, March 24.
Everyone who volunteers will be invited to an awards ceremony and reading to be held in early April.
The students are inspirational. Some approach the prompt ready with a life-changing moment on which to write. Others say they literally cannot think of one time when they have felt empowered; preparing this essay may be the first time they’ve given the concept real thought. As they talk about it, you can see them evolving in front of your eyes.
To learn more about the prize, go to www.thebaldwinprize.org. You can read last year’s entries on the blog and this year’s submission guidelines on the Participate page. Anyone with questions can also contact Lionel Foster (lionel(at)lionelfoster(dot)com).
To volunteer, please provide your contact information here.
The Baldwin Prize is also looking for writers to lead short consultations with students who are polishing drafts before their final submission. These consultations will take place Friday, March 3 between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. at Baltimore City College High School (3220 The Alameda, Baltimore, Maryland 21218). Writers can work with students for as little as an hour. To volunteer, register here.
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