Guidelines for Participating in Christian Essay:

Individual participants will write an essay related to the LTCSW theme. Essays must follow these guidelines.

• The essay must be from 250 to 500 words in length. Essays over or under this length will receive a penalty deduction of 5 points
• In the beginning of the paper, the current year’s LTCSW theme should be introduced. The thesis statement should be clearly stated and supported by three to five points in the body of the paper. The essay should be ended by reaching a reasonable conclusion sustained by the previous points.
• The essay must be typewritten and double‑spaced. For participants sixth grade or younger, handwritten work is admissible. The handwriting must be, in the minds of judges, legible and neatly presented.
• Participants must include their name, grade, and congregation name at the top right of first page.
• Copies of an oratory speech will not be accepted as an essay.
• Adult assistance should be limited to discussing the theme and its application to today’s lifestyles.
• Each higher grade should demonstrate more effective use of the written word.

 

Judging Criteria:

Essays will be evaluated by three judges.

• Evaluations of essays will be based on the following criteria, using a scale of 100 possible points.
  1. (20 Points) Use of Assigned Theme: The essay should blend creatively with the parameters of the theme.
  2. (20 Points) Use of the English Language: Word usage, spelling, and grammar.
  3. (20 Points) Structure as an Essay: The LTCSW theme should be clearly introduced in the beginning of the paper. The thesis statement should be clearly seen. This main idea should be supported by 3-5 points in the body of the article. The essay should be closed by a conclusion sustained by the previous materials.
  4. (20 Points) Readability: This area concerns relevance to today, pagination, absence of typographical errors, and the ability to hold a reader’s interest.
  5. (20 Points) Mood of the Writing: Proper use of humor, personal stories, and illustrations will be evaluated as to the theme. The theme, points, and conclusion should be enhanced by such usage. The work should clearly be seen as the writer’s thoughts and expression rather than a collection of the thoughts of others.
• Penalty deductions will be assigned, accordingly:
  1. -5 Points if the essay violates submission rules.
  2. -5 Points if the essay is fewer than 250 words or more than 500 words.
• As a general rule, awards will should assigned accordingly: GOLD, 95-100 points; SILVER, 85-94 points; BRONZE, 70-84 points; and NO AWARD, 0-69 points.
• The Event Director reserves the discretion to assign the final award.

 

Submission Protocol:

Submissions of Christian Essays should follow these guidelines.

• Essays should be submitted to the Christian Essay event director.
• Submissions can be made via the REGISTRATION page uplink, or by email/postal mail to the event director.
• Click on the event director’s name posted at the top of this page, or visit the CONTACT US page, for information on how to submit materials to the event director.
• Submissions must include a Pre-Convention Cover Sheet (listing all Christian Essay participants from the church) and three copies of the participants essay.
• All required materials must be submitted on or before the pre-convention submissions deadline (postal submissions must be post-marked on or before this date).
• Do not send entries in a manner that require signature receipt.
• The event coordinator will send confirmation of receipt of the submission to the church coordinator.
• If applicable to the participant(s), a LTCSW Special Needs or Concerns Form should be submitted to the LTCSW Special Needs Coordinator by the registration deadline.