Young Authors Showcase

Made possible by the generous support of the Carvey Family

Beginning in 2009, Sister Cities International expanded its annual youth programming to include the Young Authors Showcase. This literary competition challenges secondary school students to create a personal essay or poem based on a specific theme. The Young Authors Showcase gives students the opportunity to express their ideas of global citizenship, cross-cultural communication, and global issues through the written word.

To be eligible to submit an entry your community must be a member of Sister Cities International. Contact Laura Giroux, Membership Manager at lgiroux@sister-cities.org or 202-347-8630 for any questions regarding membership.

2012 Showcase Announced! Youth as the Catalyst for Change

What does that mean to you? The world today is more connected than ever. With the help of social media and innovative new methods of communication and mobilization of groups, change can occur at a faster pace than ever before. Throughout the world, this new generation of youth is harnessing this power to create change and promote progress. The 2012 theme is an opportunity for you to use literature to express how communication, technology, and individual initiative can lead to dramatic social change. Submissions can highlight your experience with social media, how you are creating change in your community, or how global communication and exchange has had an impact on your life.

Important Information

• Submission Guidelines
• 2012 Entry Form

Judging and Press

The judging for the 2011 Young Authors Showcase will take place during the last week of May. A panel of expert judges will be rating the personal essays and poems separately. The criterion for judging includes originality, composition, and theme interpretation. The theme is intended to allow students to share their personal vision of their world through art so originality and personal expression is greatly encouraged. Judges will also look to make sure that personal essays are concise and to the point. All literature sponsors will be contacted during the first week of June. It is their responsibility to communicate with the participants. There will be a press release sent out to Sister Cities members before the annual conference announcing the top 10 finalists. Awards and certificates will be distributed to the sponsors at that time to present to the participants.

Congratulations to the 2011 Young Authors Showcase Winners!

Grand Prize Winners

	Title of Piece	Author's Name	Author's City
Poetry	Keeper of the Compost	Ashley Loe	Santa Clara, CA
Essay	The Ultimate Travel Souvenir: Bringing Sisu to 60035	Azza Cohen	Highland Park, IL
Poetry	Remember the Future	Sandor Febete	Debrecen, Hungary, sister city of New Brunswick, NJ

Finalists

Past Finalists

• 2010 Showcase Winners "Shaping Your Community for a Greener Future"
• 2009 Showcase Winners "Your Path to Peace"

Contact Jennelle Root, Special Programs Manager, by phone at 202-347-8635 or by email at jroot@sister-cities.org for more information related to the Young Authors Showcase.