Lee Middle School eighth-grader Seung-Joon Baek has been chosen as the 8th grade winner in the state’s Young Georgia Author’s writing competition this summer.
Now a freshman at East Coweta High, Baek won for his short story, “A Slightly Sinister Faction.” He was one of 13 state winners for the 2014-2015 competition, selected from county and regional winners statewide in grades Kindergarten through 12, said school system spokesman Dean Jackson.
Jackson said ‘Young Georgia Authors’ is an annual competition sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Council of Teachers of English. The sponsors also named grade-level winners in every Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) district.
Lee Middle School won Coweta’s writing competition for the 6th, 7th and 8th grades, with students Kya Stutzman and Baek going on to win regional competitions for the West Georgia RESA district and Baek winning among the state’s 8th grade submissions.
Northgate High School students won all four spots for 9th-12th grades in the county competition. The high school has produced state winners of the Youth Authors competition in recent years, Jackson said.
The Young Georgia Authors contest encourages students to develop enthusiasm for and expertise in their writing, provides a context to celebrate writing successes, and recognizes student achievement in arts and academics. The contest is open to any student currently enrolled in Georgia’s public schools, grades K-12.
Young Georgia Authors competition does not require students to respond to a specific prompt and does not place any boundaries on students’ genre choice or creativity beyond a five-page maximum length. Students may submit short stories, poetry, essays/literary criticism/analysis, journalism, academic/research reports, personal narratives and any other original writing. This year’s winning entries ranged from free verse to short stories, said Jackson.
“I want to congratulate these student winners and all those who entered the 2014-2015 Young Georgia Authors writing competition,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “Reading, writing and literacy are so important. In many ways, they are the foundation for all other educational achievement. These students are shining stars in that area – I am so proud of each of them and enjoyed reading their excellent work.”
