Month: September 2022

What Is The Best Definition of Creative Writing?

What Is The Best Definition of Creative Writing?

Creative writing is one of the different forms of writing. It is a term that is confusing to a lot of people. Based on this, different scholars have tried to explain the meaning of the term by giving different definitions of creative writing. All the available definitions are quite accurate, thus, the best definition of creative writing would be a subjective opinion after reading through the below enlisted definitions.

To aid and simplify your research, I have simplified your work by compiling the different available definitions out there with reference links in this post.

So, today I will take you through the different definitions of the term; creative writing. And by the end of this post, you would have had a very clear understanding of what creative writing is, and even be able to educate people you come across about it.

Best Definition of Creative Writing By Encyclopedia

Below are the various definitions made available by different encyclopedia.

  • According to Wikipedia; Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes or with various traditions of poetry and poetics. 
  • The term creative writing means imaginative writing, or writing as an art. (Britannica Kids)
  • The art of writing literary works such as poems, novels, plays, memoirs, or biographies. (TheFreeDictionary)

Definitions Of Creative Writing By Dictionaries

  • The true definition of creative writing is original writing that expresses ideas and thoughts in an imaginative way. Also, it’s the “art of making things up” or putting a creative splash on history, as in creative nonfiction. (Yourdictionary.com)
  • Involves the use of skill and the imagination to produce something new or a work of art. (Oxford Learner’s Dictionarie)
  • Writing, typically fiction or poetry, which displays imagination or invention (often contrasted with academic or journalistic writing). (OxfordLanguages)
  • Creative writing is writing such as novels, stories, poems, and plays. (CollinsDictionary)
  • The activity of writing stories, poetry, etc., or the stories, poems, etc. that are written. (Cambridge Dictionary)

Definitions Of Creative Writing By Scholars

  • Creative writing is a kind of writing that uses language in imaginative and bold ways. (Rozakis, 1997)

More Definitions By Other Websites

  • As the name suggests, creative writing is a form of writing that goes beyond the traditional realms of normal, professional, academic or technical forms of writing. (Oxford Summer Courses Limited)
  • It is a form of writing that involves your cognitive and imaginative senses. (The Writers Corner)
  • Creative writing is the art of using your mind and imagination to come up with ideas and thoughts that are unique and can encompass many different forms. (Oxford Royale)
  • Creative writing is writing that displays imagination or invention. (Study.com)
  • Creative writing is often defined as the writing of fiction, where the author creates events, scenes and characters, sometimes even a world. (ACS Distance Education)
  • Creative writing is a form of writing where creativity is at the forefront of its purpose through using imagination, creativity, and innovation in order to tell a story through strong written visuals with an emotional impact, like in poetry writing, short story writing, novel writing, and more. (Self-Publishing School)
  • Creative writing is the act of putting your imagination on a page. It is a writing meant to evoke emotion in a reader by communicating a theme. (Grammarly – Creative Writing 101)
  • Creative writing, a form of artistic expression, draws on the imagination to convey meaning through the use of imagery, narrative, and drama. (https://twp.duke.edu/)
  • Creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information. (DailyWritingTips – Creative Writing 101)
  • Creative writing is any form of writing that exists outside of journalism, business writing, or academic writing. It expresses an author’s unique voice, writing style, thoughts, and ideas in an engaging and imaginative manner. (Snhu.edu)
  • Writing that focuses on building its own unique ‘world’ that doesn’t rely on verifiable facts or supported opinions. (Quora – Kamila Miller)

Conclusion

By this stage you must have gotten a clearer understanding of what creative writing is.

Which of the enlisted definitions did you find most interesting? Kindly share in the comment box below.

How to Excel in Your Next Creative Writing Competition

How to Excel in Your Next Creative Writing Competition

To excel in your next creative writing competition, you need to apply these simple rules I will share with you here.

Creative writing is quite different from other writings. It is a form of writing that involves your cognitive and imaginative senses. Any writing which is not making a report of an event that actually took place, or a plan of how a thing is scheduled to take place, can be termed creative writing.

typing on a laptop

Creative writing is purely one that communicates abstract thoughts from your imagination.

For example, a story of a pregnant man, a tell of my afterlife, ….. I used these exact titles that are really abstract to make it easy for you to understand what it means to creatively craft a story or writing out of nothing. From the topics, there is no existence of a pregnant man to the best of my knowledge.  And there is no way to tell about your afterlife when you are still living. It could have only been imagined. These two references show a typical application of the imaginative senses.

So when next you opt in for a creative writing competition, have at the back of your mind that the story you are expected to tell is not a narrative of an incident that took place in your neighborhood, that would be seen as narrative writing.

Don’t get me wrong, creative writing can be a narrative when the story being narrated isn’t of an actual experienced event, but an imagined one. Just like most non-fiction novels we read. 

What are Creative Writing Competitions Like?

A creative writing competition like the Rising Star Writing Competition and Awards (RSWCA), is an event organized by schools, organizations or the government to encourage creative writing talents to showcase their talents and skills.

There is a popular African Proverb that says “When an African man dies, a Library burns to the ground”. This is because a lot of individuals, most especially Africans have lots of beautiful and interesting undeveloped ideas and stories locked up in their heads. Some are either too busy to pen them down or do not know how to go about writing them out. We have lots of beautifully untold stories. So these competitions are organized to encourage people to explore their skills and talents and share them for the world to read.

when an African man dies a library burns to the ground

Sometimes these competitions are hosted with free entries, while others have paid entries. Payments are required sometimes based on the financial capacity of the host, the quality of award to be given to winners or just as a way to get some form of commitment from the interested candidates.

After registration, the event’s date, venue and time are communicated to the candidates based on the format of the organizing board. In some organizations, the candidates are required to write their essays remotely and submit within a stated period through specified medium. While in others the candidates assemble at a venue and are supervised and timed to write on the given topic which is either publicized ahead on the advert or given on the spot at the competition venue.

The writing is usually of a specific length and word count. Of which you are expected to adhere to any given rules.

Also, bear in mind that the organizer inherits the patent right to any creative essay submitted for the competition. And can decide to use the essays at will.

What do I need to know Before Partaking in a Creative Writing Competition? 

Build your self-confidence. Develop the mindset that you have got things under control. The competition is not a test of the efficiency of your retentive memory. It is purely for you to have fun exploring your imagination.

Do these Things to Excel and Emerge as a Winner in your Next Creative Writing Competition:

Read The Rules Of The Competition

Before embarking on the journey of applying to a competition, first of all read the applicable rules carefully so as to know if you are eligible to partake either by age, social status etc. Also read the Dos and Don’ts, entry submission deadline, the criteria for selecting a winner and so on.

Send In Application 

Number one sign of your seriousness in a contest or competition is to file in your interest of participation through the purchase or filing and submission of the entry form as the case may be. This is the first step to stand a winning chance.

Time Management

Timing is very important in competitions. Ensure to work with time from sending in your entry within the stated period to submitting your written essay, story, poem or speech on time. Don’t sit and wait till the deadline. Manage your time properly to avoid being disqualified.

Get Enough Rest

Rest is very important to keep your creativity intact. Of all you do, get a good rest, ease off and put yourself in your creative mood before you pick up your writing pad.

Brainstorm

Before the competition, if you already have the topic to write on, explore your mind on the different possible meanings of the topic. For example, the just concluded Season 7 of the Rising Star Writing Competition and Awards captioned “Dreaming With Your Eyes Open”, reading the title can give you ideas to brainstorm with. The impression on the flier too which shows a face with an eye in the dream world and the other partly unzipped to reality, can also give you ideas and help you transcendentally create an interesting piece.

neon what is your story on a glass in creative writing competition

For instance, if I were to write on this exact topic, I can work on telling a story of how I had this happy life with luxurious houses and cars,…yeah! It is not like a dream-dream, this is me imagining a life that isn’t presently real and fixing in it all the beautiful things I desire.

It can also be a story of my life in an environment where I can clearly sense that I’m not welcome, and I live there with caution as I interact with the people because I cannot predict what they can do to me if I relent.

Again, I can write a story of me living a certain kind of lifestyle based on circumstances surrounding me that are beyond my control, but without losing focus of my goal in life.

So you can see, it only requires you to freely address the given topic from different perspectives. The good thing about most creative writing competitions is that there are no rules limiting you to the perspective to write from. All you need to ensure is that your written piece can be linked to the given topic.

Research 

Make researches to guide your delivery style. As much as the task is creative writing, sometimes ideas need an accelerator. And research would give you a better understanding of what the topic is all about. Understanding is a step to tackling a challenge. 

Also, find out what the organizers had done previously and observe if there are highlights from them to guide you not to join the losing list.

Develop Writing Prompts

Writing prompts are sentence or story starters. When you find it difficult to write a story or any writing at all, begin with a prompt and before you know it, the words would start flowing through to you. 

Adhere To All Stated Writing Rules 

Read all instructions and abide. Don’t try to play smart hoping your tricks won’t get discovered.

Word Limit is the number one rule to not lose focus on when writing in a competition. Almost all types of writing competitions state clearly the instructed word limit. When you have this, do not overwrite to try to impress the judges. Stick to the stated word count limit or else, this would lead to an outright disqualification.

If there is a specified tone or language stated to use or to avoid, ensure to abide by it. Because this can either disqualify you from the competition or lower your awarded marks. If your age doesn’t fall within the stated age, or it states that authors should not partake, and you know you have authored a book, please save everyone’s time and stay off the competition.

Originality

Be original in your writing. Silence all self-doubt and ‘do you’. Don’t go to copy published creative writing scripts by other authors. Don’t pay content creators to script the content for you to submit. BE ORIGINAL! Trust in your creative ability, explore your talent and create your story without any form of external support. 

Grammar

Grammatical error in creative writing competition

Mind your grammar. Avoid grammatical errors. Don’t be in a hurry to submit your work. Give it time to proofread and make corrections. Oversight is common when you are in a hurry. Instead of you reading what is written, you will end up reading what you intended to have written. This could be the reason your essays have never made it to the winning list.

Do Not Make Corrections While Still Writing

Don’t forget that creativity thrives in trials and errors. First of all, write as the idea flows and ignore checking for mistakes. Write all that comes to mind. Afterwards, return to read and make adjustments. Pausing at intervals to proofread and correct your writing makes you lose focus and halts the flowing ideas. 

Review Your Work Before Submission

Take out time to proofread and make corrections to your essay. Format and restructure your words and lines where necessary, such that your tone can command good authority. Create a story that you too would love to read.

Craft your writing style to stand out!

Send In Your Work

After all writing and revision is done, submit your work in time, through whatever means that is provided to you.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Most Relevant In-Demand Skills for Kids in Year 2022

Most Relevant In-Demand Skills for Kids in Year 2022

There is just one important thing you can give your children whether kids, teens or adult, which would outlive you, not considering if you have a great property or business to will over to them or not. And that important thing is to equip your kids with the most relevant in-demand skills in the year 2022.

Children are like treasures, if they are managed well, they turn beneficial to their parents and the society at large. But if they are not properly groomed, they tend to become a menace to the society.

The hustle and bustle of life keeps parents away from their kids. Such that they are left with no alternative other than to contract Nannies and House-helps to take care of the home and kids, while they rush off to work. And most times return home quite late at dawn, when the kids had already retired to bed. Thus, they have little or no time to pay attention to grooming these children they birthed.

I really do not blame parents that find themselves in this kind of situation, I rather blame the society that has made things so unbearably difficult.

Kids and mum playing with building blocks freepix

Meanwhile, while you are so caught up with work and responsibilities, you should always find time to pause and review what happens in your absence.

What do your kids do when you are not around? What activities do they engage in? Did you create a productive routine for them to follow?

Don’t forget the saying that “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.

When you leave your kids dormant and idle at home, whether after school, during their semester holidays, mid-term break or school vacations, you are doing them more harm than good.

You are not helping them to prepare for a future which is like a parcel yet to be unraveled.

What Can I Do?

If you visit the internet; precisely LinkedIn, you will see the rate at which some of these Generation Z popularly shortened as GenZ are maximizing their acquired skills to positively paint the world.  

In spite of the strike action the higher institutions embarked on, that has lingered for month’s in Nigeria, these young ones have sort out means to get empowered by different organizations. The likes of Alx Africa, Side Hustle Internship, Cybersafe foundation through its’ DigiGirls Program and RadicalX, but to mention a few, in order to become Virtual assistants, Software engineers, Graphics designers, UI/UX Specialists, Data Analysts and lots of other tech skills. You can check these opportunities out and enroll your young ones.

For younger kids between the ages of 6 -16 years, you can check out BrightCHAMPS to enroll them in coding class.

In the event that you find yourself in a world that is perfect without strike actions and lockdowns like we had during the 2021 Covid -19 Global Lockdown, these skills would still be beneficial to your child.

What Changed?

The way we used to know the society, which was to go to school, make good grades, graduate with a good certificate and get a nice paying white collar job is now labeled ‘old fashioned’. The world has evolved to a stage where those who earn greatly are those out of the office…Creative Writers, Social Media Managers,……in summary, the people with entrepreneurial mindset and those that have clothed themselves with in-demand tech skills.

Categorized below are some in-demand digital skills and entrepreneurial skills you can guide your children to attain this year 2022, in order to secure good career paths for their future. These skills if learnt well will give them an edge to their peers in the labour market and society at large.

These skills can also pave the way for them to get international appointments and recognitions that would build their lives for good. And one of the good things about this is that, no amount ever put into acquiring any of these skills goes to waste.

These are opportunities the millennial generation are struggling to benefit from. But your young ones have a better chance at it.

There are a hundred and one skills your children can learn onsite or remotely. And these skills do not necessarily require them traveling miles or abandoning their studies or career to partake in the skill acquisition training. They can readily acquire these skills from anywhere in the world through their mobile phones, laptops or computing devices.

Most Relevant In-Demand Digital Skills In 2022:

Young man sitting and coding with a laptop and desktops
  1. Graphics design
  2. Coding
  3. Content development/Creation
  4. Creative writing
  5. 3D Animation
  6. Data Analysis
  7. Product design
  8. Digital Marketing
  9. Web design
  10. UI/UX
  11. Software Engineering
  12. Virtual Assistance
  13. Video editing 

The in-demand skills in 2022 are not limited to just the aforementioned fields. Your kids who do not have interest within the tech field can explore their hands based on interest in so many other fields. 

Entrepreneurial skills can also be acquired or learnt remotely. You can readily find specialists or authorities with evident great performance in each of these fields whom you can register with for tutorials, coaching or apprenticeship. 

Most Relevant In-Demand Entrepreneurial Skills In 2022:

  1. Baking
  2. Painting on canvas
  3. Event Decoration
  4. Wig Making and Wig Revamping
  5. Acting
  6. Singing
  7. Paint making
  8. 3D wall paper installation
  9. Public Speaking
  10. Event planning
  11. Interior decorations
  12. Fashion designing
  13. Drop shipping
  14. Forex Trading 

See this post for detailed explanation of most of the listed skill set.

These skills will give your children and dependents the opportunity to live their lives to the maximum, while exploring their talents, passion and creativity.

And the fact is that no matter the financial commitment involved in acquiring these skills, the benefits always outweighs it.

Gone are the days of big worded career titles. Therefore, try to maximize the trend now and do what the future generation would be grateful to you for.

How Do I Identify the Best Skill Set for my Child?

Every child is born with one or more talents. It is left for a parent to discover these talents in the child by paying attention to his/her child. 

The easiest way to know which skill suits you child best, is by paying close attention to him or her. Observe what their daily routine is like. From that you will notice what the child pays attention to the most. What they enjoy giving their time and attention to is a pointer to where they would likely bloom well. 

Father and Child painting on a canvas

You can help them more by exposing them to different fields and observe which they show more interest in. And do not make a quick conclusion, give them time.

It is normal for a person to be interested in one thing today and by the next day, the person’s interest diverts to another thing. Guide them with love and patience. Do not discourage them, rather encourage them by commending each of their efforts and attempts.

Patience and Time are the tools you require to identify the best skill set for your child.

If you are a bit lost on how to guide your young one on how to keep their creative skills abloom, refer to our previous post on ‘How To Overcome Creative Block And Stay Amazingly Creative.’

Conclusion

Your thoughts, concerns and ideas are always welcome in the comment box below.

How To Overcome Creative Block & Stay Amazingly Creative in 2022.

How To Overcome Creative Block & Stay Amazingly Creative in 2022.

Creative Block??

Sometimes you pick up your pen and paper to write, open your laptop to type, or set your camera to create a story but find yourself exchanging blank stares with your writing material, drawing pad, or recording camera.

And you wonder if those great content creators on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or TikTok ever experience the same.

Oh yeah! Everyone experiences this once in a while.

It is called creative block or writer’s block…as the case may be. 

A block is as natural as the existence of you and me. It is quite okay to experience this in your creative routines. 

But don’t worry, there are proven ways to overcome a creative block. 

Lady-laptop-reading-creative-block

To better understand how to stay creative, you need to understand what creativity is and some factors that can affect your creative ability. 

In this blog post, I will also show you along the line if creativity can possibly be learned or developed. Read on to find out whether all the great stars and celebrities were born creative or learned & acquired creative skills. 

What is Creativity?

Creativity is the ability to maximise your cognitive abilities to achieve a purpose.

It could be an out-of-the-box method to tackle a problem, a way to tell a story and have jaws drop, a technique to combine colours to make great fashion or design, or even a strategy of combining spices to achieve a great taste of a meal.

Think of a time you did something in a unique way different from the common way. Or a moment you found a way to tackle a problem. It usually comes with this great refreshing feeling of accomplishment. And sometimes you actually do this unconsciously…..That is being creative.

No matter how insignificant it may seem, it is still considered an act of creativity.

Creativity requires you to defy norms and create your thing. It permits you to make mistakes without condemning you. 

It doesn’t always have to be a virgin idea or concept, it could be a combination of previously encountered or experienced ideas that you modify and present differently.

Everyone wants to be the center of attention, you want to be the center of attention, same as I.

We all want to be known, to be famous….popular. We want to gain views, likes, and comments when we make a post on social media.

Deep down in our hearts, we want people to opt for the lessons or courses we offer. But seem helpless on how to travel through this milestone.

It isn’t easy to build a brand identity without consistency. You need to show up to remain at the top. 

You create a random lucky post, content, and advert, and BOOM! It drives a lot of traffic to you. 

The next day you wake up and try your luck on another content, but sadly this time, you receive only a few reactions… 

Over time, most subscribers either unsubscribe from your content, unfollow your channel or stop patronising your services due to unmet expectations. 

Quite heartbreaking. 

Yes, if you gain followers or subscribers, it certainly is because of the creative content you put out there: engaging, interesting, educative, comic, inspirational,…name it. Nothing begets nothing. 

But the question now is;

How do you stay creative?

Random lucky content will only save the day, but what happens afterward?

How can you consistently show up with creative and interesting feeds? 

What really causes these to happen and how can you fix you? 

Let’s see what can either positively or negatively influence your creativity.

6 Factors that can influence creativity

Some of the factors that can influence your creative ability include:

Environment:

This has to do with the physical environment you occupy or find yourself in. It is believed that a goat can only beget a goat. Remember the popular Latin maxim; “Nemo dat quod non habet”- which simply means “No one gives what he has not”. What you take in is what you give out. Your environment contributes a great deal to how you think, reason, and behave. 

Age:

This also plays a role in the level of your creativity. Creativity is better at mid ages. It increases from childhood to adulthood and decreases as old age comes knocking on the door. 

Knowledge:

What you know helps you travel beyond. Knowledge is like a bedrock or you may term it a building block, on which you start your journey and then travel beyond. Your imagination can only go as far as what your mind can conceive and comprehend. 

Experience:

Your experiences can build your creative mind. The more experience you have or let yourself have, the more you have ideas to create with. Remember that line from the old popular movie – Sound of Music; “Nothing comes from nothing….”

Associations:

Who you follow and mix up with affects how you think and the kind of ideas that come to your head. Be intentional in your associations.

State of mind:

The mood is everything. To be productive you need the right state of mind. When your mind is messed up, your productivity is influenced. Moods can spring up creative ideas as well. Sometimes that depressed mood can turn you into a poet. If you haven’t tried this before, I would recommend that you try it out next time you find yourself moody or depressed. Explore your moods and make the best out of them. 

Being able to understand these factors and how they interplay with your creative ability is a step to knowing how to overcome creative block and stay amazingly creative. 

Can Creativity Be Learnt?

Of course, it can!

I know some wouldn’t agree with me on this, but it is true.

Creativity is a skill either naturally inherent in a person or acquired. 

There is this movie that had a young lady who loved the art of comedy and dreamt for years of becoming a stand-up comedian but kept crawling up in her shell because she didn’t know HOW to go about achieving the dream. 

Someday she finally decided to dare and got a platform at a bar in her little city. Her performance revealed that she obviously lacked the know-how. She couldn’t make people laugh, the almost silent applause that accompanied her comedy performance was a consolatory routine to encourage a performer. 

Unlike the rest of the polite audience, there with the bartender sat this unpolite man who made a mockery of her throughout the time she was on the stage. This really got to her in a special way because the man was a renowned standup artist whom she looked up to as a mentor.

After her miserable performance, she tracked this man to his roots and pestered him till he succumbed to tutoring her on how to become a great Stand-Up Comedian.

Who would have believed such a skill could be learned? 

It wasn’t an easy journey for the young lady, but the clue from the lessons helped her to strategically package her contents, and guess what…she became good at the art.

Now was she talented?

No!

She only had a burning desire for the art of stand-up comedy and made a move towards attaining it.

I want you to know that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to.

How To Stay Amazingly Creative

The following strategies will help you become good at your creative routines. Explore them and enjoy the magic.

  • Know thyself – don’t force yourself to be what you are not. 
  • Ensure to always get good rest.
  • Always have jotting material handy to note down ideas that randomly pop up. 
  • Explore your imagination.
  • You can engage yourself in an environment that can groom you into becoming creative.
  • Learn to think outside of the box.
  • Do it raw, that imperfection could be the spice in it.
  • Make mistakes. To invent or innovate, there have to be trials, errors, and more trials.
  • Take strolls to unwind when you feel stressed and saturated. 
  • Attend events to keep your mind fresh and well feed with activities and ideas.
  • Observe people and even animals, you would be amazed at the ideas you can get from merely paying attention to them.
  • Read lots of books, most especially, creative books.
  • Make researches on the internet to add to your experiences and thereby boost your creativity.
  • Travel, and change your environment so you can gain new ideas.
  • Stay in a neat and cosy place, what you take in influences what you give out.
  • Work in a quiet environment or one that spurs you. Some people are creative in quiet environments while some are creative in noisy or rowdy environments. 
  • Give it a break and return to it.
  • Try it in a reversed way.
  • Ask questions to see the interests of people, so you can create your content to align with the right interest of people and not your interest.
  • Develop a creative mentality.
  • Take courses e.g Creative Writing Courses or attend Creative Workshops

If you have doubts about the benefits you stand to gain from creative courses or creative writing courses, don’t worry, I have attached a link here to give you more details.

Conclusion

Which of these steps have you applied before now and which of them worked for you?

Do you have more secrets you use that are not listed here that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. And share these techniques with your friends who might also find this knowledge useful.  

RSWCA Season 7 Prize Winners Announcement!

RSWCA Season 7 Prize Winners Announcement!

The result of the 7th edition of The Rising Star Writing Competition and Awards themed: ‘Dreaming With Your Eyes Open’, is finally here!

Are you one of the selected lucky creatives?

Let’s find out!

RSWCA SEASON 7 FLIER

In this Season 7 of the Rising Star Writing Competition and Awards (RSWCA), we launched the submission of entries on the 10th of May, 2022, to the 10th of June, 2022, and as usual, it was opened to Pan Nigerian Primary and Secondary School kids within the age bracket of 8 -16 years, who were to showcase their creative writing skills while writing a minimum of 250 and 500 words short story respectively, that reflects and captures the theme; ‘Dreaming With Your Eyes Open.’ 

We recorded a total of 251 entries, of which 31 of them were from Primary and Secondary Schools in Lekki, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Awka, Onitsha, and Agbor. While the rest of the 220 entries were from individuals across the country.

And at the end of the competition and screening process, 4 participants emerged as winners.

Selection Criteria

We congratulate every participant for taking the bold step to contest in this writing competition in an era where school children are distracted by the media and a majority of them decide not to be great readers. 

Congratulations once More!

Out of the 251 entries received, 247 entries did not make it to the top due to some strict measures of the assessment put in place. 73 entries were disqualified based on some factors such as; non-adherence to the stated length of words, age, originality of work, display of writing skills mastery, late submission of entries, and submission of more than an entry. 

In hosting The Rising Star Writing Competition and Awards (RSWCA), we aim to train young writers and hone their writing skills to trust in their abilities without parental or adult influence while displaying their skills and owning their content originality.

List of Season 7 RSWCA Prize Winners

We have 4 winners this year. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for secondary school, and only one winner emerged in the primary school category as the 3rd place winner. All 4 winners were for short story writing as we did not have a competition for poetry this season.

Secondary School Category (Short Story Writing):

1st Place Winner – Sijuanu-Olowu, 12 Years Old, Corona Day Secondary School, Lekki

2nd Place Winner – Oluwanifise Adeleye, 13 Years Old, The Livingspring High School, Awoyaya

3rd Place Winner – Fareedah Adams, 14 Years Old, Corona Day Secondary School, Ibeju-Lekki

Primary School Category (Short Story Writing)

1st Place Winner – Nil

2nd Place Winner – Nil

3rd Place Winner – Olumayowa Kuti, 10 Years Old, St. Saviour’s School, Ikoyi

Award Ceremony   

All winners are expected to grace the award presentation ceremony scheduled in October at the location of the various schools of the winners. With the appropriate date and time effectively communicated to the schools respectively, and within a reasonable and workable time frame that matches each school’s schedule. 

This ceremony is usually of huge interest to school children and students as they participate in highlights of music, drama, games, quizzes, and comedy hosted in Victoria Island, Lagos. However, since the disruption of the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic, the award presentation ceremonies have been held separately at the different schools of each winner, so as to effectively control crowds.

Children playing guitar

Children focused on showcasing their violin skills

We sincerely appreciate all candidates and schools who sent in their entries and also partook in this Season 7‘ Rising Star Writing Competition and Awards (RSWCA). Your creative skills are highly commendable and you had great delivery of your stories.

We celebrate and congratulate all the winners. Keep up with the learning and improving on your skills. You never know where it will take you tomorrow.

That is why, We, at The Writer’s Corner, would always be here to nurture kids, literacy teachers, and independent entities who are interested and need a platform to develop and groom their creative writing skills.

Special Appreciation and Mention

We are most grateful and thankful to ALL our sponsors: Greenlife Pharmaceuticals, Bank of Industry, Bluegates, and Individuals, for their undying and unwavering support towards this open competition that helps to develop great writing skills in the lives of our dear African children. 

We sincerely request and call for more sponsors so as to enable us to continuously improve our system of operations. 

Now Guess What?

If you missed out on Season 7’ of the Rising Star Writing Competition and Awards, don’t worry. You can still catch up with Season 8’, which will be announced in due time.

And for schools that sent in entries but for one reason or the other didn’t make it through the screening process, Don’t Give Up! We encourage you to get ready to storm our SEASON ‘8’, which is coming up soon.

For any communication, leave a comment below or reach us through our channels at therisingstarwritingawards@gmail.com or thewriterscorner2015@gmail.com

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Watch Out! For Season 8’ of RSWCA