Every year, the National Academy of Engineering conducts the EngineerGirl Writing Contest on the EngineerGirl website. This writing contest deals with engineering and its impact on our world. The topic and detailed instructions for the contest are posted in September with a deadline for submissions on February 1st of the following year. Winners are announced in the summer.
All students from Grades 3-6 in Sinnott can participate in the following categories
Submission deadline: Feb 1st, 2024
Useful links:
All students from Grades 3-6 in Sinnott can participate in the following categories
- Grades 3-5: Elementary School
- Grade 6: Middle School
Submission deadline: Feb 1st, 2024
Useful links:
Write a piece exploring the lifecycle of an object that you use in your daily life.
There are many steps in the process of transforming things from raw materials into consumer products. Many of the processes are represented by whole industries, and that means lots of people are involved every step of the way. Your submission will focus on the engineers present in this lifecycle.
In thinking about your submission, consider made objects that you’ve used before or that you use every day, but don’t choose foods or plants.
Rules for Elementary School (Grades 3-5)
Select an item that interests or fascinates you, then think about the following:
Think about the above questions to create your object's story. From a consistent perspective, write a piece exploring the lifecycle of your chosen object. Your chosen perspective could be the first-person point-of-view of the object or the engineers, or it could be in third person (a narrator). Make sure to feature at least three engineering disciplines. Your submission must be no longer than 800 words.
Rules for Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Select an item that interests or fascinates you, then think about the following:
Think about the above questions to create your object's story. From a consistent perspective, write a piece exploring the lifecycle of your chosen object. Your chosen perspective could be the first-person point-of-view of the object or the engineers, or it could be in third person (a narrator). Make sure to feature at least three engineering disciplines. Your submission must be no longer than 1,000 words.
You may also include a reference list of up to 5 resources, but this is not required. Each resource should be listed using the APA citation style. The reference list does not count toward your essay's word count.
How do I write a winning entry?
Take time to learn about engineers and engineering in general. The better you understand the engineering design process, the clearer and more persuasive you can be in your writing.
Include specific, detailed examples. This is one of the most effective ways to improve persuasive or non-fiction writing, and even fiction writing. Do plenty of research so that you can provide not only facts and numbers, but also testimonials, personal accounts, or historical comparisons.
Choose to focus on something that you care about or that you are curious about. It is easier to do research and write about something that’s important to you. Your interest in the subject will also come through in your writing, making your piece more powerful.
There are many steps in the process of transforming things from raw materials into consumer products. Many of the processes are represented by whole industries, and that means lots of people are involved every step of the way. Your submission will focus on the engineers present in this lifecycle.
In thinking about your submission, consider made objects that you’ve used before or that you use every day, but don’t choose foods or plants.
Rules for Elementary School (Grades 3-5)
Select an item that interests or fascinates you, then think about the following:
- What materials is the object made of? Where did these materials originate? (i.e., wood came from trees, metals came from mining, etc.) This will be the beginning of the object’s life story.
- How do you use the object? Is this the object’s intended use? This will be the end of the object’s life story.
- Now, think about what happened to the object to get it from its beginning to its end. Think about the different kinds of engineers involved and their specific contributions. Consider the stories of all those engineers. How did it arrive at the first engineer’s desk? What work did that engineer accomplish to change the object? How did that engineer pass it on?
Think about the above questions to create your object's story. From a consistent perspective, write a piece exploring the lifecycle of your chosen object. Your chosen perspective could be the first-person point-of-view of the object or the engineers, or it could be in third person (a narrator). Make sure to feature at least three engineering disciplines. Your submission must be no longer than 800 words.
Rules for Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Select an item that interests or fascinates you, then think about the following:
- What materials is the object made of? Where did these materials originate? (i.e., wood came from trees, metals came from mining, etc.) This will be the beginning of the object’s life story.
- How do you use the object? Is this the object’s intended use? This will be the middle of the object’s life story.
- What will you do when you’re done using the object? (Donate, recycle, etc.) This will be the end of your object’s story.
- Now think about what happened to the object to get it from its beginning to its middle to its end. Think about the different kinds of engineers involved and their specific contributions. Consider the stories of all those engineers. How did it arrive at the first engineer’s desk? What work did that engineer accomplish to change the object? How did that engineer pass it on?
Think about the above questions to create your object's story. From a consistent perspective, write a piece exploring the lifecycle of your chosen object. Your chosen perspective could be the first-person point-of-view of the object or the engineers, or it could be in third person (a narrator). Make sure to feature at least three engineering disciplines. Your submission must be no longer than 1,000 words.
You may also include a reference list of up to 5 resources, but this is not required. Each resource should be listed using the APA citation style. The reference list does not count toward your essay's word count.
How do I write a winning entry?
Take time to learn about engineers and engineering in general. The better you understand the engineering design process, the clearer and more persuasive you can be in your writing.
Include specific, detailed examples. This is one of the most effective ways to improve persuasive or non-fiction writing, and even fiction writing. Do plenty of research so that you can provide not only facts and numbers, but also testimonials, personal accounts, or historical comparisons.
Choose to focus on something that you care about or that you are curious about. It is easier to do research and write about something that’s important to you. Your interest in the subject will also come through in your writing, making your piece more powerful.