CALL FOR STUDENT WRITING One Book Two Book 2023

Students in grades 1-8 in Iowa City-Cedar Rapids Corridor area school districts, or home school students in those equivalent grades, are encouraged to submit one page of writing for the 2023 One Book Two Book festival from the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. This can be any type of writing: story, essay, poem, song lyric, graphic novel page, etc. The piece must be an original work, written this school year, and in polished form – ready for publication. It should be on one side of an 8.5×11 page. It can be single-spaced, but must be at least 12-pt. and in Times or equivalent font. The page should have margins of 1” on each side. Submissions that are longer than one page will not be considered. The deadline to submit is Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.

Click here for guidelines and how to submit your writing for the 2023 festival

The student work will be judged by a team from ACT in Iowa City. Recognized students will be honored at a “Write Out Loud” event during One Book Two Book in February 2023. Two grade level winners will be chosen, one in each of the following categories:

  • “The Write Stuff”: For language, clarity, structure, and emotional impact.
  • “From the Heart”: For creativity, passion, and expressiveness.

These students will be invited to read their winning submissions. In addition, a percentage of all students whose submissions are deemed to be of outstanding quality also will be honored with a “certificate of distinction.” They also will be invited to attend the “Write Out Loud” event. All recognized students will receive certificates and prizes at the event. The grade-level prize winners will have their work published in a booklet available at the festival.