Navajo Young Creative Writers Contest

Monument Valley Hot Air Balloon Event Seeking Young Creative Writers

Three young students on the Navajo Nation will have a very blessed early Christmas.

That’s because three students between first grade and 12th grade will be the lucky recipient of a mini iPad or iPad.

Navajo Young Creative Writers Contest

There will be three winning categories: 1-4th; 5-8th and 9-12th.

Additionally, there will also be a cash award of $50 for second place winners in each category and $25 for third place in each category.
Due to its overwhelming popularity, an essay contest will be held in conjunction with the Third Annual Monument Valley Hot Air Balloon Event, which will be held on January 11-13, 2013 in Monument Valley.
Patricia Seltzer, principal of Monument Valley High School and coordinator of the essay contest, said although the deadline for the essay entries is December 14th, she is confident she will receive a lot of entries.
“Creative writing is challenging yet rewarding,” Seltzer said. “This essay contest is a great way to learn how to express your thoughts through words and it can also help to develop your vocabulary, which is essential in college and beyond.”
She noted that the essays should focus on the theme “Soaring and Exploring Monument Valley,” which is the theme for the Third Annual Monument Valley Hot Air Balloon.
Martin L. Begaye, Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation Department director, said, “We are very pleased to hear there will be another essay contest this year along with the Monument Valley Hot Air Balloon Event. This is a great way to get the youth excited about our wonderful Navajo parks and monuments. The annual hot air balloon event cannot be successful unless we have support from the Navajo people and this is one way to get our people involved and excited about this great annual event on the Navajo Nation.”
Seltzer said stories can range between 200 to 1,000 words and poems should be 12 to 20 lines long. High school and middle school entries must be typed or word -processed while elementary aged students may be neatly hand written or typed.
All contestants must register for the contest by entering their name, email, age, name of school, teacher and mailing address, and agree to the terms and conditions of the contest. The deadline for submission is December 14, 2012.

Contest entry forms can be obtained on www.navajonationparks.org

For additional information, contact Seltzer at pseltzer@sjsd.org or (435) 678-1258.

Media Contact: Roberta John
Senior Economic Development Specialist
Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation
(928) 871-6647
Email: bobbie@navajonationparks.org

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