Website of the St. Peter Armenian Church Youth Ministries' Center and the In His Shoes Mission

 

Announcing the Winners!

The First Annual Writing Contest of the Youth Ministries gave young people an opportunity to express themselves about their heritage and being. This year's theme was, "The Life of My Armenian Family During the Genocide."

We are pleased to announce the winners of this competition along with their stories:

PRESS RELEASE

Youth Ministries’ Writing Competition Gives Armenian Youth a Voice

The Armenian Church Youth Ministries’ is pleased to announce the winners for its First Annual Writing Contest. This year's theme was "The Life of My Armenian Family during the Genocide." An Apple Macbook® and iPod® are among the prizes which will be awarded to winners on Sunday, February 11, 2007 at the St. Peter Youth Ministries’ Center in Glendale.

Entries were received over the course of several months. Ari Jon Filian, 16, of Pasadena, California, was selected for the first place award for his touching and powerful short story "Families Not Forgotten”.  Filian writes, ”Remember, my fellow Armenians… God’s gift to us is our identity, our heritage. When everything else is taken from us there is God and there is our heritage. Never forget your people, never forget Armenia!”

Other top winners include Talar Kikilian (14) and Tamar Barsoumian (15) for their stirring stories of a generation coming to terms with a bloody past. These stories and others are available for reading at www.hyeyouth.com. 

The competition is sponsored by the Youth Ministries and funded through a grant by the Jerry & Mariam Manoukian family of Los Altos, California. The purpose of the competition is to stimulate and encourage young Armenian voices in the community. Dr. Mariam Manoukian and Elize Manoukian, co-authors of “The Other Side of Ararat” (Abril Books, 2005) will be on hand to make the award presentations.

The public is invited to attend and encourage this new group of writers, Sunday, February 11, St. Peter Armenian Church & Youth Ministries’ Center, 632 W. Stocker St., Glendale, CA beginning at 10:30AM. Mission director, Fr. Vazken Movsesian will be addressing the winners and congregation at 11:30. A light lunch follows the services where prizes will be award.

For further information and to read the winning entries please visit inhisshoes.org or hyeyouth.com

The winners will be acknowledged at a special ceremony on February 11, 2007 at the St. Peter Youth Ministries' Center, 632 W. Stocker St., Glendale. The contest was made possible through a grant from the Manoukian family and Mariam & Elise Manoukian, authors of "The Other Side of Ararat" to promote and encourage young Armenian writers.

All participants in the competition will receive a copy of the "The Other Side of Ararat" at the February 11 event. Church services begin at 10:30. The announcements will be made during a special sermon at 11:30. Following services the presentation of the awards will take place in over a light lunch in the church hall. The public is invited to attend.

Watch for Next Year's Competition. It'll be similar to this year's...

Armenian Church Youth Ministries’ announces

The First Annual

WRITING CONTEST FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

2006 Theme:

The Life of My Armenian Family During the Genocide

 Purpose: To Stimulate and encourage young writers.

Eligibility: Students ages 12 to 19 are eligible to enter this contest.

Download (pdf):  Announcement   Rules     Entry Form

AWARDS

1st Place Awards –An Apple lap-top

2nd Place Awards -An Apple i-pod

3rd Place Awards- 3 $50 gift cards

 

The story should be based on a life experience of a great grandparent or grandparent during or around World War I. The story should describe the life of an Armenian youngster in Turkey, or the experience of a young person who immigrated to the USA after the Armenian Genocide. Attention should be focused on traditions, cultural events, lifestyle, schooling, food and other lifestyle details in the Armenian families living in Turkey or in the early years following emigration.

 RULES: All entries must be based on the theme described above.

  1. Material must be your original work and not previously published

  2. Language must be appropriate for the intended  work and must not contain profanity.

  3. Submit hard AND electronic copies. Two hard copies should be submitted - word-processed, double spaced, on one side of the page on 8.5” x 11” white paper with 1.25" margins on all sides, using a 12pt font. The same should be sent electronically to contest@hyeyouth.com          .

  4. Do not bind or staple your entries.

  5. The manuscript should be 2000 to 3000 words in length.

  6. All entries must be anonymous. The author's name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Include the manuscript title on each page along with page number. A separate envelope should be mailed with the entry form.

  7. A professional panel of judges will be select the winning manuscript. All decisions of the judges will be final and non-contestable.

  8. Entrant must be 12 years to 19 years of age on October 15, 2006.

  9. Entries must be postmarked by October 15, 2006.

Failure to follow the above rules and instructions may result in disqualification.

There is no entry fee.

Mail the entries to: St Peter Church Youth Ministries Center

632 W. Stocker St, Glendale, CA 91202

Winners will be notified by December 1 2006. All the participants will be invited to the award ceremony in Glendale, California. Entrants keep the rights to their work. The Judges retain one-time publication right in an anthology prepared by the Contest Judges chosen by the Armenian Church Youth Ministries.   The judges are not obligated to make an award or publish if the entries are deemed to have no sufficient literary merit. The Armenian Church Youth Ministries reserves the right to retract this contest at any time and without notice.

Email questions to manoukian@aol.com  or

COMPLETE & SEND WITH YOUR ENTRIES BY October 15, 2006

Office use only NUMBER _________

ENTRY FORM PLEASE PRINT

TITLE OF ENTRY

____________________________________________________ / ____________

____________________________________________________ / ____________

YOUR NAME ______________________________________________________

ADDRESS ___________________________________ PHONE ______________

CITY___________________________State _______________ ZIP____________

COUNTRY_____________

 

SCHOOL / COLLEGE_______________________________   GRADE __________

PARENT Name if under 18 _________________________________________

PHONE ________________________________________

PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF – your interests, your ambitions,

your future goals. If you are a winner, this may be used in the press releases.

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

 CERTIFICATION & RELEASE

I hereby certify that the enclosed entry is my original work. I understand that by entering this competition I allow Armenian Youth Ministries a one-time reprinting right to publish my work in an anthology to be used for educational purposes and distributed with my by-line to participants in this contest.

Student Signature Date

_____________________________________________, _____________

Parent/Guardian Signature Date

 

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