Creative Writing Category
The English Department at Western Kentucky University is pleased to announce the 2024-2025 the Creative Writing Category for The Barbara Ann Williford Memorial High School Writing Contest. Students should visit the links on the right to complete an application and submit a piece of creative writing (pdf format) based on the prompt below. The English Department will invite finalists, their teachers, and family to campus for a reception and ceremony on March 29, 2025 where they will be recognized.
The winners will receive cash prizes: 1st place - $200; 2nd place - $125; 3rd place - $75 and Teacher's Choice - $100.
Application and Essays are due February 28, 2025.
The Social Media Mask
In today's world, social media is a stage where everyone wears a mask, presenting their best selves to an audience of friends, followers, and strangers. But what happens when the mask slips?
Write a piece of creative writing—either a poem, a short story, or a piece of creative non-fiction—exploring the theme of social media and the differences between our online personas and our real lives. Consider these questions as you write:
- What does the mask look like for different people?
- Why do we feel the need to wear these masks?
- How do these online personas affect our relationships, self-esteem, and sense of reality?
- What happens when someone decides to reveal their true self online, or when someone discovers the truth behind another's mask?
Genre Guidelines:
- Poem: Capture the essence of the duality between online personas and real life. Use imagery and metaphor to explore the masks we wear on social media.
- Short Story: Create a narrative about a character who experiences a significant event that causes them to reflect on or reveal the disparity between their online and offline selves. Consider building tension around a pivotal moment of truth.
- Creative Non-Fiction: Reflect on your own experiences or observations of social media. Share a personal story or an analysis of how social media impacts the way we see ourselves and others.
Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.