HEROES is sponsoring its Second Annual Writing Talent Search.

The Writing Talent Search will allow students under the age of 16 to have an essay evaluated by college writing instructors based on the same grading rubric used for Expository Writing (aka Comp 101). Each essay will receive individualized comments and a completed grading rubric.

Finalists and semi-finalists will receive medals, certificates and letters of commendation. Finalists will also be invited to a final round where they will work with writing instructors from Rutgers University and compete under proctored conditions for $1,600 in scholarships. Students who reside more than 100 miles from New Brunswick may participate in the final round via Skype.

For more information go to www.HEROESgifted.org

Cool. I like the Skype option. I'll pass this around locally (Colorado).

Do you have to be a HEROES member?
My daughter missed the SAT score for 10 points in one section, 20 in another, 50 in the other. She exceeded all of the MAP scores by a lot, though. Those were the only 2 tests off the list that she had taken. But I tried to apply a while back and it seems that MAP wasn't even on the list, not to mention that I don't have access to the score report.

No you don't need to be a HEROES member to participate. The Writing Talent Search is designed to be an identification instrument. Read http://www.heroesgifted.org/Searching_for_Shakespeare for more details on the purpose and design of the Writing Talent Search.

You are correct that the page listing the qualifying test scores was expanded. Our standard has not changed -- 95th percentile compared to students three years older than the applicant. But we added more examples based on data available for other tests that many students have taken.

A student only needs to qualify on ONE section of ONE test. We recognize that many students only qualify based on math but not reading or the other way around.