American Studies Writing Competition

Letters to a President – A National competition

This spring the University of Manchester’s programme in American Studies is asking UK school students to write “Letters to a President”, to the incoming US presidential administration.

• What issues should the new president and vice president prioritize during their first few months in office?
• What are your hopes for the shape of our future world?

The competition will be judged by Professor Gary Younge (Sociology), Professor Angie Wilson (Politics), and Dr. Andrew Fearnley (American Studies).

The competition closes at midnight on April 30, 2021

Information for Teachers

We have compiled some ideas on how teachers can incorporate the competition into their lessons and support their students in developing their submissions:

Teachers guide – A letter from us (pdf)

Prizes

One winner and one runner-up will be selected for each year group
The prizes are: First prize = £50 Blackwell’s Vouchers, runner-up prize= £30 Blackwell’s vouchers.

Workshops

In collaboration with the Centre for New Writing, the University of Manchester will offer free creative writing workshops in late February (aimed at students in years 9-11) and late March (aimed at students in years 12-13). These will be held online via Zoom webinar. Dates and booking details will be announced on the competition webpage shortly.

Resources

We have put together a list of resource links which you can download here (pdf).

How to enter

Please visit the competition webpage for details about how to enter and for full Terms and Conditions

https://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/connect/schools/outreach/as-competition/

Contact

Please direct all questions about the competition to AS-competition@manchester.ac.uk