2013 Sejong Writing Competition now open
Competition deadline: 11:59pm, January 31st, 2013 (CST)
Changes this year
Young adult essay division
For our 2013 Writing Competition it is with pleasure that we
announce the addition of a young adult essay division, open to all
writers age 25 and younger residing (or with residence) in the US or
Canada.
2013 registration and applications
Beginning with our 2013 Writing Competition we will be using a new
registration-based system
for entry submissions. For students, this system offers the option of
emailing submission confirmations and/or PDF copies of entries to
teachers; additionally, it enables students to edit entries easily until
the competition deadline. Teacher accounts can view and, if necessary,
submit their students' submissions.
We would like to stress that all personal information is kept
strictly confidential and no information is shared with parties outside
of the Sejong Cultural Society.
2013 Guidelines, Prompts, and Prizes
Submission deadline: 11:59pm, January 31st, 2013 (CST)
Eligibility: open to all residents of the US and Canada age 25 and younger
Sijo category (one division open to students grade 12 and younger):
Write one sijo on a topic of your choice. More information on writing sijo can be found
on our website.
Essay category prompts
Young adult & senior divisions (age 25 and younger & grade 12 and younger)
Yi Munyol (b. 1948) wrote
Our Twisted Hero as a
satirical allegory in response to the authoritarian regimes that headed
South Korea's government in the wake of the Korean War—a political
"dark age" steeped with human rights controversies and accusations of
corruption and ineptitude.
Read Our Twisted Hero by Yi Mun-yol (free to read on our website)
Young adult topic: Compare and contrast an aspect of Our Twisted Hero (e.g.,
plot, characters, setting, or background) to another artistic work,
event—current or historical—or any subject matter of your choice.
Senior topic: Our Twisted Hero is
an allegorical novel particular to a troubled time in modern Korean
history, but it has many parallels to other literary works that offer
similar allegories. Works like Lord of the Flies and A Clockwork Orange—both
British—are about groups of non-adults who form their own societies
with their own rules that mirror or oppose the values of the culture at
large. Both of the western novels mentioned above also directly or
indirectly address a significant problem in society. Compare Yi
Mun-yol's work with one the books mentioned above or to another
literary work or film with similar thematic content.
Alternately, senior division students may choose to write their essays in response to the young adult division topic.
Junior essay division (grade 8 and younger)
Korea has a rich tradition of storytelling, and its folk
tales reflect important aspects of its history and culture. Many of the
old historical texts are full of local legends and myths. Folk tales
can be entertaining and educational, but they can also strike a deep
chord in our personal lives, and many Korean folk tales demonstrate the
universal tragedies and triumphs of daily life in the family.
Topics (choose one): Each topic refers to the list of Korean folktales found on our
folktales index page.
- Select one folk tale from the list and explain your
interpretation of the story. What do you think it means? What is its
importance? Why do you think it was created?
- If you could change one of these folk tales, what would you change
and why? Do you disagree with something the tale is trying to convey?
- Which Korean folk tale character do you relate to best? Why? Would you make the same decisions as that character?
Rules:
- All entries must be written in English.
- Contestants are permitted one essay and one sijo entry.
- Entries must be submitted through our website.
Prizes:
- Essay division (YA): first ($1,000), second ($800), third ($600)
- Essay division (senior): first ($500), second ($400), third ($300)
- Essay division (junior): first ($300), second ($200), third ($100)
- Sijo category: first ($300), second ($200), third ($100)
- Honorable mention (for all divisions and categories listed above):
Friends of Pacific Rim Award ($50 each)
Other events
We will once again be hosting our sijo workshop for
teachers on November 17th (Saturday) at the University of Illinois at
Chicago. If interested, please contact us or check our website in the
future for updates.
Additionally, we will be hosting a live discussion with Yi Mun-yol, author of
Our Twisted Hero, in March of 2013.
