Since 2012, the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association (TOGA) sponsors an Annual Youth Writing Competition for essays to tell the story of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

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The competition is open to all Virginia Middle School students (grades 6, 7 and 8). Home-schooled students are welcome to enter. Essays can be written about oyster life, history, recent developments, or even recipes with background from how the recipe came about. Reaching young people at an early age is very important to start a lifelong interest in ecology and the importance of the health of the Bay.

If you know Virginia Middle School students, please encourage them to enter. The essay Competition Guidelines are below.

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Previous year's winners are now growing oysters in the floats they won for their essays. This is a great way to encourage youngsters to get involved with oysters, learn about the ecology of the Bay, and help improve our environment.

  — Terry Lewis, Master Oyster Gardener

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Essay Contest:

Please complete the online Entry Form, along with your essay. See below guidelines for details. The three top winners will be published on the TOGA Website, and possibly other publications or sites. Submissions can be made between now and the December 15 deadline, every year.

Prizes:

$500, $250, and $100 for first, second and third place essays, respectively. The school of the first-place entry is also awarded $200 to spend on educational aids.

There may be other prizes that change each year, such as gear from outdoor sports businesses and members of TOGA, or oyster floats so students can grow their own oysters!

Awards Ceremony:

Winners will be announced and awards presented at a TOGA Appreciation event in late winter following each year’s contest. The time and location of the award presentation ceremony is announced online and in the TOGA Winter Newsletter (preceding the ceremony). The winner's parents, a mentor, or a teacher will be guests of TOGA for the presentation event. The winning entries will be read by the students at the awards program.

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Competition Guidelines:

1. Open to all Virginia Middle School students (grades 6-8), including those students home schooled.

2. Nonfiction only, under the theme "Consider the Oyster". Writers create their own title.

3. Format and Length: a firm 500-750 words typed, double- spaced. NOTE: Student’s name, grade/school, and hometown must be printed in three lines at the top right-hand corner on each page of the entry.

4. Essay Rating Criteria: These are the categories essays will be judged on:

   • Understanding of topic, history & science

   • Proper citing of online/research sources

   • Effective expression of view & passion

   • Writing style, spelling & grammar

   • Creativity, original thinking and clarity

5. Submit the TOGA Youth Writing Contest "Consider the Oyster" Entry Form.

6. Email essay submission as a Microsoft Word, PDF, or plain text attachment to the competition coordinator listed below.

7. By submitting the article to the competition, permission is granted by the parent(s) and student for TOGA to post or publish the article in publications or websites as deemed appropriate by the TOGA Competition Judges, with compensation being limited to writer credit to the student author to reward and recognize writing excellence, and to promote the competition throughout the year.

8. Submissions not meeting the competition guidelines and criteria will be disqualified.

9. Submission can be made from now to December 15.

Complete the Entry Form and email essay, as specified in Guidelines to: TOGA Writing Competition Mr. Terry Lewis, Board Member, Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association

Email to: lewistmn@msn.com

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Good luck!

To submit via mail: Complete form online (or print and include this Mail Entry Form), and send essay, as specified in Guidelines, via postal mail to:  Terry Lewis, TOGA Youth Writing Competition 11339 Water View Place Gloucester, VA 23061.  If you have questions, please call 804-693-2687.