2013 Visions Student Writing Contest

The writing contest last year was very successful.  We enjoyed honoring our top 10 winners at our staff meeting and are proud of the writing that is published in The Word Squad as a result of this contest.  Last year, we had over 100 students submit writing to the contest.  We would like this year’s contest to encourage our students to explore their world and their beliefs through writing.

This year’s contest theme is “This I Believe.”  Please visit the 2013 Writing Contest description in The Word Squad to participate.  

Grades 7-12 
Write a short essay about a personal belief.  The following link will take you to a page explaining the essay guidelines.  To explore essays written by youth under age 18 on the "this i believe" website, click here.

How to Submit your Writing Contest Entry 
Please email your writing entry to thewordsquad@viedu.org.  Please write "Writing Contest" in the subject line of the email.  You must include the following information at the top of your writing: name, grade, academy, teacher's name, and email address.

You will receive a confirmation email within a couple of weeks that your entry was received along with a certificate that makes you an official member of The Word Squad.

Deadline 
All writing contest entries must be received by April 15, 2013.  Any entries received after midnight of this deadline will not be considered for the contest.   Contest winners will be notified by the end of the school year.

Prizes 
Contest winners will receive $50 gift cards, a Word Squad t-shirt and a certificate of accomplishment. The winning writing entries will be published on The Word Squad website.    

Google Science Fair Has Opened for Students Ages 13-18

Deadline for submissions is April 30, 2013

The third annual Google Science Fair has been launched in partnership with CERN, the LEGO Group, National Geographic and Scientific American to find the next generation of scientists and engineers. We’re inviting students ages 13-18 to participate in the largest online science competition and submit their ideas to change the world.

Here’s some key information for this year’s Science Fair:

• Students can enter the Science Fair in 13 languages.
• The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2013 at 11:59 pm PDT.
• In June, we’ll recognize 90 regional finalists (30 from the Americas, 30 from Asia Pacific and 30 from Europe/Middle East/Africa).
• Judges will then select the top 15 finalists, who will be flown to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. for their live, final event on September 23, 2013.
• At the finals, a panel of distinguished international judges consisting of renowned scientists and tech innovators will select top winners in each age category (13-14, 15-16, 17-18). One will be selected as the Grand Prize winner.

To learn more about how to participate and about the prizes, visit Google’s blog here.