Indiana University East is announcing its first writing contest for high school seniors. The contest is sponsored by the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts and the Office of Academic Affairs.

The competition has four categories including poetry, fiction, essay and literary analysis. Any high school senior or home-schooled student planning to attend college in 2008 is welcome to participate.

Each category will have two $100 award recipients selected among the entries. In addition, there will be eight Honorable Mention recipients with each receiving a $25 gift certificate to the IU East Campus Bookstore. Award winners will then be eligible to receive four-year scholarships to IU East in amounts ranging from $3,000 to $11,000. The scholarships are dependent on the student’s SAT/ACT scores and high school GPA.

A workshop and awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 13. In addition to the awards, students will also receive front-row seating during the Jeannette Walls reading being held Wednesday, November 28. Walls is the author of “The Glass Castle.” Her book is number two on the New York Times nonfiction paperback list. She also received the 2005 Elle Readers Prize and the 2006 American Library Association Alex Award.

Entries must be received by Thursday, November 1 and include the entry form in order to be considered for the competition. Contestants may submit one writing, which should be 1,500 words or less. Students can submit their entries by e-mail to Elizabeth Slattery at eslatter@indiana.edu or by mail to Elizabeth Slattery, Indiana University East, Division of Humanities and Fine Arts, 2325 Chester Blvd., Richmond, IN, 47374. More information is available online at www.iue.edu/academic/hfa/contest.