NCBA YLD Announces Its 2021 Writing Competition: ‘Getting Creative During Quarantine’

By Claire O’Brien and Christina Cress

The YLD Communications Committee, in conjunction with YLD leadership, is excited to announce that its 2021 Writing Competition, “Getting Creative During Quarantine,” is open as of today, January 13!

We invite you to submit an original piece of creative writing in one of two broad categories: (1) Inspirational experiences, thoughts, reflections, and lessons learned; or (2) Challenges faced personally and/or your perspective on those faced by society at large. The subject matter should be at least loosely related to COVID-19; however, it need not be law related. Entries can be fiction or nonfiction and should be written in accordance with the rules set forth below.

Don’t miss this opportunity for imaginative self-expression during an extraordinary time, in the context of a friendly competition among the YLD community! Each winner will receive a gift basket and will have their piece published on the NCBarBlog. The deadline for submission is February 28, 2021.

Rules for the Writing Competition[1]

The following rules apply to the YLD’s 2021 “Getting Creative During Quarantine” writing competition:

1. Permissible Entrants: The competition is open to any current NCBA YLD member. Authors may collaborate, but only one submission from each member will be considered. Except for Communications Committee members, members of the YLD Leadership may participate.
2. Content: Each YLD member may submit one (1) entry in one (1) category of the member’s choosing (see second paragraph of this post for category descriptions). The entry may be fictional or nonfictional and may be in any form. The subject matter should be at least loosely related to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic; it need not be law related. Examples of forms your creative writing submission may take include, but are not limited to:
   • Poetry
   • Novellas, vignettes, or short stories
   • Memoirs
   • Letters
   • Journal entries
   • Personal essays
   • Literary Journalism
   • Lyrical essays or songs
   • Speeches
   • Scripts for a play, movie, or television show
3. Length: Entries may not be more than 2,500 words in length.
4. Deadline: All submissions must be received in proper form by Sunday, February 28, 2021. Submissions time-stamped after 11:59 p.m. EST on February 28, 2021, will not be considered.
5. How To Submit: Submissions must be submitted in a Microsoft Word document attached to an email sent to NCBA Staff at [email protected]. Submissions will be judged without knowledge of the identity of the author’s name. To that end, do not include your name anywhere in the body of your submission (i.e., do not include your name in the Word attachment). Instead, please include only your N.C. State Bar Number in the subject line of your email and the body of your submission. NCBA staff will deliver anonymized submissions to the Communications Committee for judging.
6. Judging Criteria: Among the criteria the YLD Communications Committee will consider in judging the submissions are quality of writing and style, originality of thought and presentation, and overall adherence to the parameters set forth herein. The Committee will not consider any submission that, in the sole judgment of the Communications Committee or the NCBA, contains matter that is libelous or violates accepted community standards of good taste and decency.
7. All submissions to the competition become property of the NCBA and, by submitting the writing, the author warrants that it has not been previously published.
8. Depending on the number and quality of submissions, the Communications Committee anticipates selecting two (2) winning entries from each of the two (2) topical categories, for a total of four (4) winning entries. The Committee plans to publish the winning submissions as a series in the NCBarBlog, with attribution to the selected authors. Each winner will receive a gift basket sourced from local makers and small businesses in North Carolina.

If you have any questions about the writing competition, please email Claire O’Brien ([email protected]) and Christina Cress ([email protected]), your YLD Communications Committee Co-Chairs.

This writing competition is brought to you by the YLD Communications Committee:

Christina Cress
Claire O’Brien
Angela Schulz
Michael Cohen
Ramya Mulugu