EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, has opened its 2007 international writing competition. The annual New Voices contest promotes literacy by encouraging reading and
writing among middle school and high school students while heightening public awareness of e-books.
Children are our future in many ways, states Brenna Lyons, president of EPIC. They aren'st just the readers and writers of tomorrow, though New Voices celebrates that fully. They are the
leaders and the voters. A strong reader grows into someone who can express himself and knows the value of research. In this increasingly post-literate society, it is our questour honor to
assist teachers in creating a brighter tomorrow by encouraging reading and writing in the children of today.
The EPIC New Voices contest is open to students attending public, private, or home schools in grades 7 through 12 or equivalent levels in the student's8217;s district. Categories include
Short Story (fiction), Poetry, and Essay (nonfiction). Each student may submit no more than one (1) entry in each category for a maximum of three (3) submissions. All contest entries must
be in English and must be submitted electronically. Guidelines and entry forms are available on the EPIC Web site, www.epicauthors.com/newvoices.html.
The results of the New Voices competition will be announced at the EPIC Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in March 2007. The winning stories, poems, and essays will be published in
the EPIC New Voices 2007 anthology. Authors of the winning entries will receive cash, e-book readers, or other prizes. Educators, librarians, and published writers judge contest entries
and provide written feedback to the young authors to encourage their development.
Teachers of the 2006 contest winners had high praise for New Voices. Jill Rollie, 7th Grade Language Arts Teacher at Ellis Middle School in Austin, Minnesota, said, 's8220;One of my goals
as a teacher is to encourage students to take advantage of opportunities where they may showcase their creativity. [The contest is one of the ways to provide those opportunities for
students to share their writing with a larger audience's8230;What a wonderful way to celebrate writing!'s8221;
Cheryl House, 8th Grade ELA Teacher/Dept. Chair, Pearsall, Texas, Junior High, wrote, The EPIC Contest is an excellent tool that enables young creative writers to realize their
publication goal or dream.
EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, is a professional organization for e-book and print authors, as well as publishers and industry professionals. It was established
to provide a strong voice for electronic publishing. More information can be found on the organization's8217;s Web site at http://www.epicauthors.com.