Accepting entries for the 2019 Annie Dillard and E.B. White writing contests

The St. Charles Community College English Department is sponsoring two writing contests: the 2019 E.B. White Award for Expository Writing and the 2019 Annie Dillard Award for Creative Non-Fiction.

Annie Dillard is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of nine books and is well known for her creative non-fiction. A creative non-fiction piece is a short work of prose written in the first person that deals with a subject experienced by, and important to, the author. This style often includes descriptive language and a clear reflection on the significance of the presented experiences.

E.B. White was a skilled essayist who penned the famous composition, “Once More to the Lake.” His style manual for essay writing, Elements of Style, is widely used in college composition courses. Argumentative and analytic essays are two common types of expository writing. 

In honor of both writers, SCC would like to recognize both an outstanding creative non-fiction piece and an expository essay. Both contests are limited to SCC students, and pieces must be written while enrolled at SCC. Contests have a deadline of Friday, March 29. Each winner will receive a $100 prize, a free ticket to the Student Awards Banquet in April, a certificate of achievement and a complimentary lunch.  

Submission guidelines include:

  • Select a piece based on an assignment you wrote for an English class at SCC within the past year.
    • Can revise the original work before submission
    • Please do not submit a piece written for another subject or school
  • Submit an unmarked, printed copy of your work.
    • Name should not appear anywhere in the text of the submission
    • Make sure submission has a title on the printed copy
    • Double-space and use a 12-point font
  • Include a cover sheet with the following information:
    • Whichever contest you are submitting your piece to - “E.B. White Award for Expository Writing” or the “Annie Dillard Award for Creative Non-Fiction”
    • Title
    • Your name
    • Full address
    • Phone number
    • Email address
    • Name of professor and class
  • Submit your entry to your English professor.
    • If you are not enrolled in an English class this semester, submit to:
      David Cirillo, HUM 203, St. Charles Community College, 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Dr., Cottleville, Mo. 63376
  • Submissions will not be returned. 

Winners will be announced in early April.

For more information, contact David Cirillo at 636-922-8616 or dcirillo@stchas.edu.

St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu.