World Handwriting Contest 2016

World Handwriting Contest provide two quotes (given below) for contestants to write.

Contestants under age 12 should write out the first (shorter) of the two copy-quotes. (NOTE: Contestants younger than age 8 do not have to write out the whole quote, but they must write at least the first two sentences of the quote. Contestants age 8 or older must write the entire quote.)

Contestants ages 13 and older should write out the second (longer) copy-quote.

Write out and submit the quote selected for your age group. Please do not write additional material within your entry.

• Use either lined or unlined paper, 81/2 x 11 inches or A4 size.

• Use any of the following writing instruments: ballpoint pen, fountain pen, felt/fiber tip marker, or calligraphy pen/brush. (Use the same writing instrument throughout the entry.) Because we scan winning entries for display, please use only black ink and white or light-colored paper (plain or lined) with no pre-printed pictures or decorations..

• The written quote must fit on the front side of ONE sheet of paper. Allow at least a 1/2-inch margin on all sides of the quote.

• On the backside of your entry (not on the front), or in the text of the  email to which a scan write in English is attached write

1. your full name,
2. your full address,
3. your age on July 1 of the year you send your entry,
4. your phone number, and
5. your e-mail address (if any).

Please do not use a separate piece of paper for this information, and please do not write this information on the front of the entry. The back of each entry must contain that entry's own legible identifying information. 

Students: if you wish your school to receive notification of a win, give the school’s name and address along with your own. All personal information will remain confidential. The World Handwriting Contest will use student information only to notify winners and, in an aggregate manner, for research purposes.

• You do not have to send your first attempt: in fact, we expect that you will not send your first attempt. Remember that the allotted time runs from January 1st through June 30th, so take all the time you need to practice and send your best effort.

DO NOT cross out or make erasures. Do NOT send "rough drafts." If you make a mistake, start over: do NOT erase, cross out, "white out," or cover up your errors. Visible erasurescross-outs/cover-ups/"whiting out" will count more heavily against your work than the original errors themselves.

• Contest judges will evaluate entries based on each entry's demonstrated

LEGIBILITY (how easily we can read the writing),

FLUENCY (the smoothness, grace, and flow of the writing),

and COMPETENCE (choice of layout and margins; spacing between letters, words, and lines; consistency of letter size and forms; accuracy of the quote; neatness and general appearance; spelling; and whether the entrant strove to follow the letter and spirit of the Contest rules).

• All entries become the property of the contest. The World Handwriting Contest will not return submitted entries.

OFFICIAL QUOTES (that you must write for the Contest)

FOR CHILDREN THROUGH AGE 12
HANDWRITING: that action of emotion, of thought, and of decision that has recorded the history of mankind, revealed the genius of invention, and disclosed the inmost depths of the heart. Handwriting ties us to the thoughts and deeds of our forebears and serves as an irrevocable link to our humanity. No machine or technology can replace the contribution or continuing importance of this skill. It has been necessary in every age and is just as vital to civilization as our next breath.
-Michael R. Sull-

FOR AGES 13 AND OVER
HANDWRITING: that action of emotion, of thought, and of decision that has recorded the history of mankind, revealed the genius of invention, and disclosed the inmost depths of the soulful heart. It gives ideas tangible form through written letters, pictographs, symbols, and signs. Handwriting forms a bond across millennia and generations that not only ties us to the thoughts and deeds of our forebears, but also serves as an irrevocable link to our humanity. Neither machines nor technology can replace the contribution or continuing importance of this inexpensive portable skill. Necessary in every age, handwriting remains just as vital to the enduring saga of civilization as our next breath.
-Michael R. Sull-