The Newton County School System (NCSS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Young Georgia Authors Contest. Each school could submit one entry per grade level for grades third through 12 into the county competition in the form of short stories, poetry, essays, journals, personal narratives, reports, or other original student writing. Submissions were judged on four domains as reflected in the Georgia Performance Standards—ideas, organization, cohesiveness, and language.

Newton County’s winning essays will be forwarded to the Georgia Department of Education, where they will be grouped and judged according to the system’s Regional Educational Services Agency (RESA). NCSS’ authors will compete against students in the Griffin RESA group, which includes the following school systems: Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Pike, Spalding, and Thomaston-Upson. Representing NCSS are the following 2023 grade-level winners:

“Congratulations to each of the winners in the Young Georgia Authors contest,” said NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “Writing skills are crucial, as the ability to write well can be the ticket to better grades and greater academic achievement. In addition, the ability to write well will be a key asset once students enter the workforce and begin their career progression. I commend these students for a job well done. Our school district definitely has some very talented writers and I wish them well in the next phase of competition.”

For more information on the Young Georgia Authors contest, contact Ms. Sherri Davis-Viniard, Director of Public Relations for Newton County Schools at [email protected].