Creative writers, poets needed

If you have been hiding those creative writing talents all these years, the EcoArts Festival has two competitions just for you!

Poets are urged to get those creative juices flowing and write an original poem on an environmental issue relevant to the CNMI. A panel of judges will evaluate these poems with respect to content, relevance to theme, persuasiveness, originality, effective use of language and imagery. Each poem should take a minimum of two minutes to a maximum of three minutes when read aloud.

The top five ranked will compete in oral presentation of their poems at the EcoArts Festival, where the final adjudication by a panel of judges will occur.

Prizes will be awarded for the top three, and honorable mention will be given to places four and five.

The second competition is for folks who feel passionately about an environmental issue relevant to the CNMI and who wish to write an original oratory to get their point across. An orator is expected to research and write/speak intelligently, with a degree of originality, in an interesting manner about his or her topic. The oratory may identify a current problem and propose a solution, alert the audience to a threatening danger, or encourage the support of a particular cause. Each piece must be original and written only by the orator whose name appears on the cover page. No more than 250 words quoted and cited from another source may be used.

A panel of judges will evaluate the original oratories in each category as to content, relevance to theme, persuasiveness, effective use of syntax, mechanics, and vocabulary. The top five ranked in each category will compete in oral presentation at the EcoArts Festival where the final adjudication by the panel of judges will occur. The presentation must be from memory.

Prizes will be awarded for the top three finalists in each category, with honorable mentions given to places four and five.

In addition to cash and other prizes, winning poets and orators will be featured on a special edition of Saipan Novel Hour on KRNM, Public Radio for the Northern Marianas.

The deadline for entries is July 22, so don’t delay! Contact Melody Actouka at 235-1320 or 234-5498 x 1734 or melodya@nmcnet.edu for the submission format or stop by the Division of Environmental Quality on Middle Road. (PR)