Open Letters: Our Opinion-Writing Contest

What’s bothering you? Who might do one thing about it? What might you say to them that may persuade them to care, or to make change?

And … what if we all learn your letter? How might you make us care too?

These are among the questions we’re asking you to ponder for our Open Letter Contest. An open letter is a broadcast letter of protest or attraction normally addressed to a person, group or establishment however supposed for most people. Consider the various “Pricey Taylor Swift” open letters you’ll find on-line and on social media: Positive, they’re addressed to Ms. Swift, however they’re actually a approach for the author to share opinions and emotions on feminism, or ticket gross sales, or the music business, or … the record goes on.

As you would possibly already know should you’ve learn Martin Luther King’s well-known Letter From Birmingham Jail, an open letter is a literary gadget. Although it appears on the floor to be supposed for only one particular person or group, and due to this fact normally reads like a private letter (and might make readers really feel they’re someway “listening in” on personal ideas), it’s actually a persuasive essay addressed to the general public. This letter signed by over 1,000 tech leaders in regards to the risks of A.I., this humorous 2020 letter addressed to Harry and Meghan, and this video letter from younger Asian People to their households about Black Lives Matter are all examples of the custom.

Now we’re inviting you to attempt it your self. Write your individual open letter, to anybody you want on any challenge you care about, so long as it’s also applicable and significant for a normal Occasions viewers.

Whom do you have to write to? What do you have to say? How do open letters work?

The foundations and FAQ beneath, together with our Scholar Opinion discussion board and associated how-to information, can stroll you thru methods to get began.

Please submit any questions you have got within the feedback and we’ll reply you there, or write to us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com. And, contemplate hanging this PDF one-page announcement in your class bulletin board.

The Problem

Write an open letter to a selected viewers that calls consideration to a problem or downside and prompts reflection or motion on it.

Whether or not you select to put in writing to your dad and mom, lecturers, college board members or mayor; a member of Congress; the pinnacle of an organization; an artist or entertainer; or a metonym like “Silicon Valley” or “The Kremlin,” ask your self, What do I care about? Who could make modifications, massive or small, native or world, to handle my challenge or downside? What particularly do I would like my viewers to know or do? And the way can I write this as an “open letter,” compelling not simply to me and the recipient, however to the overall viewers who will likely be studying my phrases?

The Occasions has revealed quite a few open letters over time, to each well-known and odd individuals. You’ll find a protracted record of free examples in our associated information.

This contest invitations college students to specific themselves and picture that their phrases can result in actual change.

Your open letter ought to:

• Deal with a problem you care about and with which you have got some expertise. You may write about nearly something you want, whether or not it’s a severe challenge like bullying, or one thing extra lighthearted like why bugs deserve respect, however we’ve got discovered over time that essentially the most fascinating pupil writing grows out of non-public expertise. Our associated Scholar Opinion discussion board and how-to information may help you give you concepts.

• Deal with a selected viewers related to the problem. Select a person, group, group or establishment who is able to make change or promote understanding about your matter.

• Name for motion, whether or not the change you search is one thing tangible, like asking Congress to enact a legislation or demanding an organization cease a dangerous follow, or one thing extra summary, like inviting your viewers to mirror on one thing they could have by no means thought of.

• Be appropriate and compelling for a large normal viewers. An open letter concurrently addresses an express recipient — whether or not the president or your health club instructor — in addition to us, most people, your implicit viewers. Although your letter would possibly appear to be meant only for one particular person, it’s actually attempting to influence all readers. Be sure to write it in such a approach that it’s related, comprehensible, applicable and significant for anybody who would possibly come throughout it in The New York Occasions. (Once more, our associated information may help.)

• Be written as a letter, in a voice and tone that’s applicable for each your viewers and objective. Are you merely taking an argumentative essay you’ve written for varsity already and slapping a “Pricey X” on prime of it and a “Sincerely, Y” on the underside? No. A letter — even an open letter — is totally different from a proper essay, and your writing ought to mirror that. Are you able to be casual? Humorous? If that is smart on your objective and viewers, then sure, please.

  Our associated information, and the various examples we hyperlink to, may help you consider this, however we hope the format of a letter will allow you to loosen up a bit and specific your self in your pure voice. (For instance, you’ll be writing as “I” or “we,” and addressing your letter’s recipient as “you.”)

• Additionally try to influence a normal viewers. Although it’s written within the type of a letter, it’s an opinion piece, and you are attempting to make a case and help it with proof, as you’d any argument. Bear in mind that you’re attempting to vary hearts and minds, so that you’ll be drawing on the identical rhetorical methods as you might need for our long-running editorial contest. (Once more, extra on this within the associated information.)

• Make your case in 500 phrases or fewer. Your title and sources are usually not a part of the phrase rely.

• Inform with proof from no less than two sources, together with one from The Occasions and one from outdoors The Occasions. We hope this contest encourages you to deepen your understanding of your matter through the use of a number of sources, ideally ones that provide a spread of views. Simply be certain these sources are reliable.

  As a result of it is a letter, not a proper essay, we aren’t asking you to supply in-text citations, however we will likely be asking you to record the sources you used — as many as you want — in a separate subject that doesn’t contribute to your phrase rely. Consider, nonetheless, that should you embody proof from these sources, our readers (and judges) ought to at all times be capable to inform the place it got here from. Watch out to place quotations round any direct quotes you utilize, and cite the supply of something you paraphrase.

A Few Guidelines

Along with the rules above, listed here are a couple of extra particulars:

• You should be a pupil ages 13 to 19 in center college or highschool to take part, and all college students will need to have dad or mum or guardian permission to enter. Please see the F.A.Q. part for extra eligibility particulars.

• Your open letter must be authentic for this contest. Meaning it mustn’t have already got been revealed on the time of submission, whether or not in a faculty newspaper, for an additional contest or wherever else.

• Remember that the work you ship in must be applicable for a Occasions viewers — that’s, one thing that could possibly be revealed in a household newspaper (so, please, no curse phrases).

• It’s possible you’ll work alone or in teams, however college students ought to submit just one entry every.

• You should additionally submit a quick, casual “artist’s assertion” as a part of your submission, that describes your writing and analysis course of. These statements, which won’t be used to decide on finalists, assist us to design and refine our contests. See the F.A.Q. to study extra.

• All entries should be submitted by April 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time utilizing the digital kind that we’ll add to the underside of this web page when the competition opens.

Sources for College students and Academics

Use these sources that will help you write your open letter:

• Our step-by-step information: For use by college students or lecturers, this information walks you thru the method of writing an open letter.

• A listing of free examples of open letters revealed each in and out of doors The New York Occasions, which you’ll find in our step-by-step information.

• The 9 successful letters from our first Open Letter Contest.

• New for 2025: An version of our Conversations With Journalists sequence through which college students are invited to pose questions for Margaret Renkl, a contributing author for the Occasions Opinion part, who usually makes use of the open letter format in her work.

• New for 2025: A librarian explains how she helped lecturers at her college educate with this contest — and create their very own mini model.

• A writing immediate: To Whom Would You Write an Open Letter? This immediate affords college students a “rehearsal house” for desirous about to whom they’d like to put in writing, the rationale they’re writing and why they assume that challenge is vital — not just for the recipient but in addition for a wider viewers.

• Many, many extra argumentative writing prompts: We publish new argumentative writing prompts for college kids every week in our Scholar Opinion and Image Immediate columns. You’ll find all of them, as they publish, right here, or lots of them, organized by matter, in our assortment of over 300 prompts.

• Argumentative writing unit: This unit contains writing prompts, lesson plans, webinars and mentor texts. Whereas it was initially written to help our Scholar Editorial Contest, the sources may help college students make compelling arguments, cite dependable proof and use rhetorical methods for his or her open letters as properly.

• Our contest rubric: That is the rubric judges will use as they learn submissions to this contest.

Steadily Requested Questions

Under are solutions to your questions on writing, judging, the foundations and educating with this contest. Please learn these completely and, should you nonetheless can’t discover what you’re on the lookout for, submit your question within the feedback or write to us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.

Questions About Writing

How is that this contest totally different out of your long-running Editorial Contest? Can we nonetheless use these supplies?

For a decade we ran an editorial contest, and the scholars who participated wrote passionately about every kind of issues — A.I., quick vogue, race, trans rights, faculty admissions, parental incarceration, fan fiction, snow days, memes, being messy and a lot extra. You may nonetheless write in regards to the points and concepts that fireside you up — it’s simply that this time round you’ll be framing your work as a letter to an individual who has the ability to make change on or carry understanding to that challenge.

Our associated information has extra in regards to the variations between a standard opinion essay and an open letter, however the many supplies we developed for that earlier contest are additionally woven into the information, as ideas like ethos, logos and pathos are nonetheless very a lot related to this problem.

I don’t know what to put in writing about. The place ought to I begin?

Our Scholar Opinion discussion board may help by way of its many questions that encourage you to brainstorm each the viewers you would possibly write to and the matters you’d like to handle.

Can I truly ship my open letter?

You may! Simply wait till after you have got submitted your work to us to take action. (As at all times for our contests, you keep the copyright to the piece you submit, and might do no matter you want with it.)

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Questions About Judging

How will my open letter be judged?

Your work will likely be learn by New York Occasions journalists, in addition to by Studying Community employees members and educators from round america. We’ll use this rubric to guage entries.

What’s the “prize”?

Having your work revealed on The Studying Community.

When will the winners be introduced?

About 8-10 weeks after the competition has closed.

My piece wasn’t chosen as a winner. Are you able to inform me why?

We usually obtain 1000’s of entries for our contests, so sadly, our group doesn’t have the capability to supply particular person suggestions on every pupil’s work.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RULES

Who’s eligible to take part on this contest?

This contest is open to college students ages 13 to 19 who’re in center college or highschool around the globe. Faculty college students can not submit an entry. Nevertheless, highschool college students (together with highschool postgraduate college students) who’re taking a number of faculty lessons can take part. College students attending their first yr of a two-year CEGEP in Quebec Province may also take part. As well as, college students age 19 or underneath who’ve accomplished highschool however are taking a spot yr or are in any other case not enrolled in faculty can take part.

The kids and stepchildren of New York Occasions workers are usually not eligible to enter this contest. Nor are college students who stay in the identical family as these workers.

Can I’ve another person test my work?

We perceive that college students will usually revise their work primarily based on suggestions from lecturers and friends. That’s allowed for this contest. Nevertheless, ensure that the ultimate submission displays the concepts, voice and writing skill of the coed, not another person.

Do I would like a Works Cited web page?

Sure. We give you a separate subject to record the sources you used to tell or write your open letter. You’re allowed to format your record nonetheless you need; we won’t choose your entry primarily based on formatting on this part. Inner citations in your letter are usually not vital.

Why are you asking for an Artist’s Assertion about our course of? What’s going to you do with it?

All of us who work on The Studying Community are former lecturers. One of many many issues we miss, now that we work in a newsroom moderately than a classroom, is with the ability to see how college students are reacting to our “assignments” in actual time — and to supply assist, or tweaks, to make these assignments higher. We’re asking you to mirror on what you probably did and why, and what was onerous or simple about it, largely in order that we are able to enhance our contests and the curriculum we create to help them.

One more reason? We’ve got heard from many lecturers that writing these statements is immensely useful to college students. Stepping again from a bit and attempting to place into phrases what you wished to specific, and why and the way you made creative selections to try this, may help you see your piece anew and determine how you can make it stronger. For our employees, they provide vital context that assist us perceive particular person college students and submissions, and study extra in regards to the circumstances underneath which college students around the globe create.

Whom can I contact if I’ve questions on this contest or am having points submitting my entry?

Depart a touch upon this submit or write to us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHING WITH THIS CONTEST

Do my college students want a New York Occasions subscription to entry these sources?

No. All the sources on The Studying Community are free.

In case your college students don’t have a subscription to The New York Occasions, they’ll additionally get entry to Occasions items via The Studying Community. All of the actions for college kids on our website, together with mentor texts and writing prompts, plus the Occasions articles they hyperlink to, are free. College students can seek for articles utilizing the search device on our residence web page.

How do my college students show to me that they entered this contest?

After they press “Submit” on the shape beneath, they may see a “Thanks on your submission.” line seem. They’ll take a screenshot of this message. Please word: Our system doesn’t at present ship affirmation emails.

Submission Kind

Please learn the next rigorously earlier than you submit:

• College students who’re 13 and older in america or the UK, or 16 and older elsewhere on this planet, can submit their very own entries. Those that are 13 to fifteen and stay outdoors america or the UK will need to have an grownup submit the entry (push the “Submit” button) on their behalf. We’ve got this rule as a result of in some international locations youngsters underneath age 16 can not legally comply with the phrases on the backside of the submission kind.

• All college students who’re underneath 18 should present a dad or mum or guardian’s permission to enter. The permission is a part of the submission kind beneath.

• You’ll not obtain e mail affirmation of your submission. After you submit, you will notice the message “Thanks on your submission.” Meaning we acquired your entry. In case you want proof of entry on your instructor, please take a screenshot of that message.