<p>I am curious. Has anyone here on CC ever won a prestigious essay contest? If so, what contest did you win, and how much approximate time did you spend time working on your essay?</p>
<p>btw-share some tips on winning writing contests</p>
<p>i didnt really win prestigious one...there was a contest sponsored by the local university (University of Texas-Brownsville) where Benazir Bhutto (she was the world's first female prime minister i think) judged the entries since she was doing a special guest lecture type thing there. I won 1st with $250 in cash (which i quickly spent on stupid stuff lol) I spent about an hour or so on it. but the topic was easy (what does islam in america mean to you?) since i am a muslim. hehe. there were about 300 entries</p>
<p>by tips-basically nothing new, just what hemingway said--write what you know. it really transforms (for the better) the quality of your writing when you stick to an area that you are familiar with inside and out. i also try to come up with weird analogies. remember, most of the judges will be baby boomers (from the 60s) so they just love all that creative, free your mind bull. just my two cents. oh and don't try to sound too smart, it sometimes comes across as pretentious..NEVER use a thesaurus. you can really tell. be natural. i know this isn't anything really new, but just remember your playing to an audience</p>