WNA Foundation launches editorial writing and cartoon contest celebrating First Amendment
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) Foundation launched their Wisconsin Civics Games Editorial Writing & Cartoon Contest this week and is now accepting entries.
The contest was timed to coincide with Sunshine Week, the annual national week-long celebration designed to promote dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.
The contest will focus on the rights established by the First Amendment and is open to all Wisconsin middle and high school students. For the writing portion of the content, high school students should write a “guest column” (500 words or less) about the First Amendment; middle school students should write a “letter to the editor” (200 words or less) on the same topic.
There is also an editorial cartoon contest. Students should create a cartoon based on the First Amendment contest theme. The editorial cartoon contest is open to both high school and middle school students.
Students can enter the written contest or the cartoon contest or both.
All contest entries can be submitted online at: https://wnanews.formstack.com/forms/wisconsin_civics_games_contest and the contest deadline is May 15, 2021. Winners will be announced July 1. Prizes are: $500 for first place, $250 for second place, $100 for third place, and $50 for honorable mention. Winning entries will be published on the WNA website and in newspapers throughout Wisconsin.
The contest was timed to coincide with Sunshine Week, the annual national week-long celebration designed to promote dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.
In 2018/2019, the WNA Foundation launched the Wisconsin Civics Games, as a response to declining civics education and participation in the state. The intent was to engage youth in a collaborative competition and coverage of civic affairs in order to cultivate an understanding of the individual’s role in our democracy for future generations. The first year, more than 100 students competed, from 25 participating schools. Participants spent months preparing for their regional competitions in Feb. 2019 and then went to state finals the end of Mar. 2019 at the Wisconsin State Capital. The Games involved students hearing from newspaper editors, local officals and state legislators, as well as the Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice and the Governor. In the end, Platteville High School was the winner, earning bragging rights as the winner of the inaugural Wisconsin Civics Game Champion, and each member of the winning team received a $2,000 scholarship to a Wisconsin college or university.
Due to COVID, for 2021, the WNA Foundation changed things up. The writing and cartoon contest is designed to keep the momentum going, albeit in a slightly different format.
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1980 to support programs that foster excellence in journalism, engage current and future newspaper leaders, and invest in our communities. The foundation solicits, manages, and disburses funds and other resources for the benefit of Wisconsin’s newspaper industry.