Contest Overview
The Metropolitan (DC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated cordially invites students in grades 6th-12th to participate in the 2024 Dr. Jean Mosee Young Writers Contest. This program was developed by the chapter in 1982 as the Young Black Writers Contest, after learning about poor test scores in writing among African American high school students. The contest is now open to all students throughout the DMV in sixth through twelfth grades. The purpose of the contest is to encourage writing among middle and high school students, especially students of color, and to publicly recognize their literary talents. Over 2,000 students have participated in the program throughout the years.
MIDDLE SCHOOL Essay Topic: What’s On Your Mind?
HIGH SCHOOL Essay Topics (select one): CLIMATE CHANGE | What’s On Your Mind? | IMPACT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Key Dates
Deadline: February 9, 2025, at 11:59pm. The online platform will close at the deadline.
Notification: Winners will be announced in March 2025.
Awards Ceremony: March 8th, 2025.
Eligibility
Who May Enter: Students in grades 6 - 12 in DC, Maryland, and Virginia are invited to participate. Competition category is based on your grade at the time of entry:
Middle School: Grades 6 - 8
High School: Grades 9 - 12
Awards
What to Submit
MIDDLE SCHOOL Essay Topic
Submit original, unpublished, and powerful short story, essay, or poem(s) on the topic: What’s On Your Mind? Submissions will be judged taking into account: topic/message, originality, craftsmanship, technical accuracy (e.g., grammatical and structural correctness) and logical/effective organization.
HIGH SCHOOL Essay Topic
Submit original, unpublished, and powerful short story, essay, or poem(s) on ONE of the following topics: Climate Change, What’s on your Mind, or Impact of Artificial Intelligence. Submissions will be judged taking into account: topic/message, originality, craftsmanship, technical accuracy (e.g., grammatical and structural correctness) and logical/effective organization.
Requirements
Only one entry per person in one of the genres below. Submissions must be received by 11:59pm on February 9, 2024. Participants must include the following submission materials: writing submission, short thematic statement (i.e., What motivated you to write about your topic? What message or meaning do you want your work to express? Why is it relevant?), completed and signed entry form, and signed Teacher Verification Form. For participants under age 18 at the time of submission, the entry form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. Note: Please only include last name on writing submission.
Your work must follow the specific genre format guidelines and limits for your competition category – based on your grade level as outlined below.
Middle School
Poetry - Submit one poem
Essay - 1½ pages; max. word count of 375
Short Stories - 2 pages; max. word count of 500
High School
Poetry - Submission must include a collection of three (3) poems linked by a common theme (submit as one document).
Note: Include a unifying title of the collection, as well as titles for each individual poem included in the collection
Essay - Three (3) pages max. (no research papers); max. word count of 750
Short Stories - Three (3) pages max.; max. word count of 750
How to Submit
Students must submit entries using our online submission forms (links above).
Past Winners
Thank you to all who have participated over the years!
2024 Contest Winners
High School
1st Place, Gavin Leonard, Georgetown Day School
2nd Place, Jah’leel Manson-Walker, Ron Brown College Preparatory High School
3rd Place, Chelsea Zhu, Richard Montgomery High School
4th Place, Sosena Audain, Georgetown Day School
Middle School
1st Place, Arabella Bernstein, Alice Deal Middle School
2nd Place, Sarah Dubin, Alice Deal Middle School
3rd Place, Alaina Jones, Alice Deal Middle School
4th Place, Kimora Thomas, KIPP DC - WILL Academy PCS
2023 Contest Winners
High School
1st Place, Ruth Pournelle, School Without Walls
2nd Place, Joy Jiang, Richard Montgomery High School
3rd Place (tie), Kevin Argueta, Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School
3rd Place (tie), Ethan Smith, DeMatha Catholic High School
4th Place, Rocio Argueta-Figueroa, Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School
4th Place, Allison Xu, Walter Johnson High School
4th Place, Ainhoa Aron, School Without Walls
Honorable Mentions: Fernando Vasquez-Carino (Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School), Adam Yehalashet (Don Bosco Cristo Rey), Jessica Miranda-Morales (Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School), Mario Correa (Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School), Soa Andriamananjara (Holton-Arms School), Kiara Ramirez (Don Bosco Cristo Rey), Gwendolyn Morris (School Without Walls)
Middle School
1st Place, Annikah Westrom, Alice Deal Middle School
2nd Place, Justice Joyce, Burgundy Farm Country Day School
3rd Place (tie), Ronan Shah, Alice Deal Middle School
3rd Place (tie), Mi'Angel Thompson, Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science PCS
4th Place, Manea Oulare, Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science PCS
4th Place, Kahlil Boyd, Ingenuity Prep PCS
4th Place, Johnathan Pierre, Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science PCS
2022 Contest Winners
High School
Michelle Tillery, 1st Place, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Madeleine Salunga, 2nd Place, School Without Walls
Mariya Dempsey, 3rd Place, Flint Hill School
Madison Payne, 4th Place, Elizabeth Seton High School / Mariana Bermudez, 4th Place, Coolidge High School / Haley Howard, 4th Place, School Without Walls
Honorable Mentions: Bailey McFadden (School Without Walls), Linnea Leijon (School Without Walls), Zion Dailey (Coolidge High School), Olivia Jones (James Hubert Blake High School), China Jones-Burgess (Bard High School Early College DC), Adelle Johnson (Arundel High School), Kalynn Tobin (Coolidge High School)
Middle School
Masha Pavlova, 1st Place, Alice Deal Middle School
Emilie Allen, 2nd Place, Maret School
Bondi Smith, 3rd Place, Georgetown Day School
Arielle Stopak, 4th Place, Georgetown Day School / Bella Matthews, 4th Place, Holton-Arms School / Neve Ayvazian, 4th Place, Maret
Honorable Mentions: Shelbee Dorsey (Alice Deal Middle School), Zoe Wolin (Georgetown Day School), Isabel Finn (Georgetown Day School), Gavin Leonard (Oyster-Adams Bilingual School (Adams)), Paige Johnson (Roland Park Country School), Grace Sampson (Silver Spring International Middle School), Kiye Corbitt (Statesmen College Preparatory Academy for Boys PCS), Anjali Martin-Shanker (Georgetown Day School), Laila Basir (KIPP DC - WILL Academy PCS), Peyton Johnson (Gilman School)
2021 High School Winners
1st Place, Priya Allen, Short Story – Mellow, Maret School
2nd Place, Curtis Lawrence, III, Poetry - Memories, How Do I Hate Thee, We, School Without Walls High School
3rd Place, TaKiyah Chappelle, Essay – Corruption, Duke Ellington School of the Arts
4th Place (tie), Kya Ebuwei, Poetry - in the thick of it, dissipation, Caps Locked, Elizabeth Seton High School
4th Place (tie), Michelle Tillery, Poetry - Energy Spent / The World is a Vampire / In the World I Dream, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Honorable Mention:
Anise Lampley, Losing Myself, Oxon Hill High School
2021 Middle School winners
(click the title of each work to view)
1st Place, Gavin Leonard, Essay - Dear MLK, Oyster Adams Bilingual School
2nd Place, DeZsa Swinton, Poetry - What's On Your Mind?, Friendship Public Charter School Online
3rd Place, Morgan Hubbard, Poetry - Between the Lines, Alice Deal Middle School
4th Place (tie), SuMayah Washington, Poetry – Alone, Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science
4th Place (tie), Ethan Michel, Essay - The Commercial Break, Maret School
Honorable Mentions:
Simone Forrest, The Song I Was Made To Sing, Browne Academy
Gabrielle Lewis, Audacity, Alice Deal Middle School
Lena Webb, I Feel Your Pain, Washington Latin Public Charter School
2020 High School Winners
1st Place - Rachael Muresan / Whittle School and Studios / Grade 10
2nd Place - Finn Cousins / Gonzaga College High School / Grade 11
3rd Place - Matthew Jackson / Banneker Academic High School / Grade 12
2020 Middle School Winners
1st Place - Amaliya Nurkanova / School Without Walls / Grade 8
2nd Place - Kay Richards Alleyne / Howard University Middle School / Grade 8
3rd Place - Esther Omosule / Howard University Middle School / Grade 8
