Eligibility
The Baldwin Prize is open to students at Baltimore City College High School.
Awards
Top writers will receive a $100 gift certificate.
Essay Prompt and Instructions
Choose someone to interview. It can be a family member, a friend, or someone else entirely. Pick someone whom you think would have a great response to the prompt below. Ask your interviewee the following:
Tell me about a person, incident, event, belief--anything in your life that brought you hope during a difficult time?
You can write up the story they tell you in either of the following ways.
- From the interviewee’s perspective, leaving yourself and your observations out of the narrative (example)
- From your own perspective, explaining what was told to you and making observations of your own along the way (example)
In 1,000 words or less, write up the story. Give it a beginning, a middle, and an end. Everyone must write a story, but when you submit your story, you may submit your written version or an audio recording of you narrating your essay.
In strong entries, it will be obvious that the author (that's you) asked good questions and listened closely. The goal is to create an opportunity for another person to share something meaningful with you. You should relay it in a way that is true to what they shared and engaging to someone who was not part of the conversation.
Submission Instructions
Please read before writing your essay.
1. Read all of the material in the Resources section at the bottom of this page. Students should give the person they interview the Message to 2025 Baldwin Prize Interviewees.
2. Make your entry no more than 1,000 words.
3. Submit your essay here no later than Thursday, March 20 at 4 p.m. Eastern. The submission must be your own work and not exceed 1,000 words. You will include your name in the application form, but please include only the text of your essay in the Word or PDF file you submit. If pages of your essay include your name, your teacher's name, an essay title or any information that is not the essay, please remove that information.
4. The Baldwin Prize may use all or part of your submission to brag about you, promote the Prize, fundraise, encourage other students to participate, or for any other purpose. By participating, you acknowledge and accept this fact.
5. There is zero tolerance for plagiarism or fabrication.
Judging
A panel of judges will rate and rank stories according to how well they do the following:
1. Respond to the prompt.
2. Offer insight into human nature.
3. Demonstrate compassion and authenticity.
4. Use language to engage the reader.
5. Demonstrate that the writer is using the assignment as an opportunity to become a better writer and thinker.
Tips for writing a good story
1. Gather your thoughts. Take good notes, and create an outline before you write your first draft.
2. Imagine you’re writing to someone you like and respect. Keeping this person in mind can help you maintain an engaging tone and voice.
3. Good writing almost always requires rewriting. Write a draft, identify things that can be improved, and improve them.
4. Conduct a grammar and spelling check. Do everything you can to eliminate errors.
5. Whether you submit a written or spoken version of your story, read your story aloud to yourself. Great writing often has a strong aural quality. If you stumble over a word or passage while reciting your story, it’s very likely that section would give a reader trouble and could be fixed.
6. Be accurate.
7. Be clear.
8. Before you submit, get feedback from writers or readers that you trust. (But make this submission your own. This must be your original work.)
Resources
Tips for Conducting Your Interview
Message to 2025 Baldwin Prize Interviewees
Example of an As Told to Account with Annotations
Example of a Third-Person Telling with Annotations
The Baldwin Prize is open to students at Baltimore City College High School.
Awards
Top writers will receive a $100 gift certificate.
Essay Prompt and Instructions
Choose someone to interview. It can be a family member, a friend, or someone else entirely. Pick someone whom you think would have a great response to the prompt below. Ask your interviewee the following:
Tell me about a person, incident, event, belief--anything in your life that brought you hope during a difficult time?
You can write up the story they tell you in either of the following ways.
- From the interviewee’s perspective, leaving yourself and your observations out of the narrative (example)
- From your own perspective, explaining what was told to you and making observations of your own along the way (example)
In 1,000 words or less, write up the story. Give it a beginning, a middle, and an end. Everyone must write a story, but when you submit your story, you may submit your written version or an audio recording of you narrating your essay.
In strong entries, it will be obvious that the author (that's you) asked good questions and listened closely. The goal is to create an opportunity for another person to share something meaningful with you. You should relay it in a way that is true to what they shared and engaging to someone who was not part of the conversation.
Submission Instructions
Please read before writing your essay.
1. Read all of the material in the Resources section at the bottom of this page. Students should give the person they interview the Message to 2025 Baldwin Prize Interviewees.
2. Make your entry no more than 1,000 words.
3. Submit your essay here no later than Thursday, March 20 at 4 p.m. Eastern. The submission must be your own work and not exceed 1,000 words. You will include your name in the application form, but please include only the text of your essay in the Word or PDF file you submit. If pages of your essay include your name, your teacher's name, an essay title or any information that is not the essay, please remove that information.
4. The Baldwin Prize may use all or part of your submission to brag about you, promote the Prize, fundraise, encourage other students to participate, or for any other purpose. By participating, you acknowledge and accept this fact.
5. There is zero tolerance for plagiarism or fabrication.
Judging
A panel of judges will rate and rank stories according to how well they do the following:
1. Respond to the prompt.
2. Offer insight into human nature.
3. Demonstrate compassion and authenticity.
4. Use language to engage the reader.
5. Demonstrate that the writer is using the assignment as an opportunity to become a better writer and thinker.
Tips for writing a good story
1. Gather your thoughts. Take good notes, and create an outline before you write your first draft.
2. Imagine you’re writing to someone you like and respect. Keeping this person in mind can help you maintain an engaging tone and voice.
3. Good writing almost always requires rewriting. Write a draft, identify things that can be improved, and improve them.
4. Conduct a grammar and spelling check. Do everything you can to eliminate errors.
5. Whether you submit a written or spoken version of your story, read your story aloud to yourself. Great writing often has a strong aural quality. If you stumble over a word or passage while reciting your story, it’s very likely that section would give a reader trouble and could be fixed.
6. Be accurate.
7. Be clear.
8. Before you submit, get feedback from writers or readers that you trust. (But make this submission your own. This must be your original work.)
Resources
Tips for Conducting Your Interview
Message to 2025 Baldwin Prize Interviewees
Example of an As Told to Account with Annotations
Example of a Third-Person Telling with Annotations