1. Texas Writing Competition Hildebrandt Winners 2013

2.  Athletes – Should competition create jealousy among teammates?  Bullying – What constitutes bullying When do joking words become hurtful?  Gangs – do you feel safe in your neighborhood?  Military families - What actions would you take to help all members of this family?  Peer Pressure - What should be done if drug use seems to be glamorized by some students?

3.  Family Relationships - Can emotional pain cause thoughts of suicide, or cause someone to use self-abuse? When the teen is expected to step into the role of the parent?  Peer Relationships - Can words be used in such a way as to be a violent act? How far should a person go to fit in, have friends or be popular?  Social Media - Is sending unflattering pictures of a classmate via text message wrong? How should you appropriately respond or react to negative comments on Facebook?

4.  Entries must be in English.  Students may submit only one essay entry per year.  Student name on essay is acceptable, but no school name please.  Essays must be the work product of only one student. Collaborative essays are not acceptable.  Editing for essay content, grammar, or spelling by someone other than the student is not permitted.  Entries must be typed or legibly written on 8½ X 11 paper.  Pages should be numbered.  Essays must be non-fiction.  Essays based upon plagiarism will not be advanced in the judging process.  Poems, plays and songs are permitted as long as the language is positive.  Essays should be approximately 500 to 1,000 words in length with the exception of poems and songs.

5.  How has violence affected my life?  What are the causes of youth violence?  What can I do about youth violence?

7.  How has violence affected my life?  What are the causes of youth violence?  What can I do about youth violence?