As a Nigerian student, there are essay competitions that are currently on. Like the TSL and Reach Cambridge essay competitions for students, and the DstvEutelStar competition for African teens. And you want to win! How can you do that? Follow these tips.
1. Read the Essay Contest Rules
The very first thing that you should do to help yourself win essay contests is to read the rules thoroughly. Don’t overlook even one small detail. This could be the difference between winning the contest and not winning.
Pay special attention to the entry and closing dates, and the essay requirements like word count, theme, and any other details the sponsor requires.
2. Come Up With Different Essay Ideas
Understand the theme, and try to speak with as many people as you can for several different ideas. You should also do some internet research. Consider different ways that you can make the contest theme personal, come at it from a different angle, so you can stand out from all of the other contest entries.
Write all of your ideas down, and don’t judge them yet. The more ideas you can come up with, the better.
3. Select the Essay Idea that Best Fits the Theme and Sponsor
Once you’ve finished coming up with different essay ideas, look over all of your ideas to pick the one you want to develop for your essay contest entry. When you’re deciding, be sure to think about what might appeal to the essay contest’s sponsor. Why not try to work the sponsor’s products or activities into your essay? And ask if your subject matter fits the theme that has been given, and the sponsor’s company image?
For example, for the DstvEutel essay, you could make a connection between DStv and education. How it has kept you informed of happenings around the world – in terms of news, current affairs, entertainment, sports, academics and all that.
4. Start Your Essay With Something Captivating
When it’s time to start writing your essay, remember that the first sentence is the most important of all. If you can start with a powerful, intriguing, moving, funny first sentence, you’ll hook the reader/judges’ interest, and stick in their memory when it is time to pick winners.
5. Don’t tell, Show!
Use stories, examples and personal experiences to individualize your essay and demonstrate the point you want to make. By using specifics, you’ll avoid vagueness and generalities and make a stronger impression.
6. Let Your Words Stand Out
For your essay contest entry to stand out. Use clever play on words, or humour that sticks in the judges’ minds.What this means is that you can use rhyme, alliteration, inner rhyme, puns, and coined words in your essay.
7. Grammatical Accuracy, Font Size, and Proper Paragraphing
Make sure your essay is grammatically correct. Avoid the use of any jargon, abbreviations, cliches and slangs. Competition on essay writing requires the use of right grammar, but not ‘big’ grammar. Make your words simple enough, and use exact words to express your ideas and thoughts.
To check for grammatical accuracy, you can make use of grammar checker – it is a software that checks grammatical accuracy, and one can make use of it on a computer. The standard font size is 12 or 14, except otherwise stated. It is not good to use a font size that is too big, or too small.
Your paragraphs should contain a topic sentence. This means that it should start with an idea which you will then develop in the body of the paragraph.
8. Revise Your Essay for Flow and Organisation
Once you have written the first draft of your essay, look over it to ensure that it flows smoothly. Is your point well-made and clear? Does the essay flow smoothly from one point to another? Do the transitions make sense? Does it sound good when you read it aloud? Is it grammatically correct? Did you use the right font size?
You could also read or give it to an impartial listener, someone who would give you a well-needed critique. This is also the time when you should cut out unnecessary words, and make sure that you come in under the word count limit.
9. Revise Your Essay And the Entry Rules Again!
Yes. Proofread. Proofread. Proofread. It is never too much. Have you said everything you want to say? Have you made your point? Does the essay still sound good when you read it aloud?
If possible, this is a good time to enlist the help of friends or family members. Read your essay aloud to them and check their reactions. Did they smile in the right parts? Did it make sense to them?
It is also a good idea at this point to double-check to make sure you haven’t overlooked anything. Make a check list of all of the essay requirements, and go through it point-by-point with your finished essay in front of you to make sure you’ve hit them all.
This is also a good time to ask a friend to double-check your spelling and grammar. Even your computer’s spell check programs make mistakes sometimes, so it’s helpful to have another person read it over.
10. Submit
Now that you’ve done all this much work, it is time to submit. Do it on time, and keep your fingers crossed.
