Dr. Howard F. Beckley Writing Competition

With this year marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC, and rural Pennsylvania, we are called to commemorate a watershed event in US and world history. For people who watched or helped as the tragedy unfolded, that day changed the way Americans and others around the world lived their lives. From humankind’s first discovery of fire to the invention of the printing press to the signing of the Civil Rights Act, everyday lives are changed by our own ingenuity and how we use it to interact with each other. Even personal events like births, marriages, and deaths can have a significant impact on how we experience the world. Maybe life-changing global events haven’t happened in your lifetime; maybe something has happened personally that changed the way you view the world. Consider one such event, anywhere in the English-speaking world, big or small, and, in a thoughtful, well-developed essay, discuss the ways in which people adapted to their new world order.

COMPETITION OPEN TO DENVER AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
COMPOSE AN ESSAY BETWEEN 800-1,500 WORDS
BASED ON THE PROMPT ABOVE
First Prize: $500.00, Second Prize: $250.00, Third Prize: $100.00

Email essay as a pdf attachment, with full name, school & teacher’s name to
beckleywriting@gmail.com
Entries must be received by 11:59pm on November 21, 2026.

Winners will be notified by November 29, 2026.

Winners will read their essays at the Denver Branch Awards Celebration on Sunday, December 6, 2026, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, Denver Woman’s Press Club, Denver.
If unable to attend, prize money will be forfeited.

Judges will grade entries on:
Adherence to correct English grammar, syntax, and punctuation
Effective and clear essay structure
Quality and originality of work

Remember: All resources must be clearly and appropriately cited using a MLA conventions including works cited page.

Dr. Howard F. Beckley was a part-time college instructor who served on the Denver Branch Board. He was concerned about the quality of writing from his students and wanted the Branch to add a program to help high school students improve their writing skills. After his sudden death, other Board members took the initiative to develop a Writing Competition to honor Dr. Beckley’s memory.

We launched the competition in 2010, when the Denver Branch hosted the ESU National Conference. The topic was our conference theme: Westward Ho! The Continental Expansion of the English Language. Every year since its inception, we have expanded our reach to involve more schools, teachers and students. The Covid-19 pandemic presented new challenges but the program continues.

Each year, one or two teachers coordinate the Writing Competition. They choose a topic and advertise it with a standard rubric so students know how they will be judged. We advertise the competition in the fall, with a deadline around Thanksgiving. A committee of Board members and interested Branch members reads the submissions, discusses and ranks them, choosing the top five. We give cash prizes: first place $500, second place $250, third place $100; some years we award $50 honorable mention prizes. We present awards for the competition at our December party, where winning students read their submissions.

Current and Past Topics

2026 Consider a life-changing moment like 9/11 and discuss how we adapt to a new world order
2025 Allegory in Art Beyond Literature
2024 The Evolving Language: How Generative AI is Reshaping Our Communication
2023 Analyze Native American author Leslie Marmon Silko’s prediction in The Turquoise Lodge
2022 Discuss the impact of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story”
2021 What author or social influencer should be required reading/viewing in high school and why?
2020 What is your opinion on the effectiveness of “virtual” schooling versus “in-person” schooling?
2019 Symbols: how they unite or divide us, marginalize or include us, motivate or demoralize us
2018 What are the implications of technology on the English language?
2017 How does the language of protest incite action?
2016 How is Shakespeare Relevant Today?
2015 What is Genius?
2014 Fiction with a Twist: Narrative prose with a clear plot twist
2013 Focus on Fiction: Compose a short story on a topic/theme of your choice
2012 American Authors of Excellence: Saluting American Masters of English Composition
2011 The Language of Freedom: How the Written Word Advances the Struggle for Freedom
2010 Westward Ho! The Continental Expansion of the English Language