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Austin T. Brown Technical Communication Award Competition
Eligibility
Awards
Current Status
Basis for Judging
The Society for Technical Communication
Donations
Related Links

Austin T. Brown Technical Communication Award Competition

For students in Grades 9 through 12

photo of Austin T. Brown When possible, the Washington, DC - Metro Baltimore Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) invites high school students in the Washington metropolitan area to submit entries to its annual Austin T. Brown Technical Communication Award Competition.

The Chapter sponsors this competition to encourage the development of technical writing skills among students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

The award was started in 1962 and has been funded by the Chapter since 1964. The competition, formerly called the High School Science Writing Contest, was renamed to honor Austin T. Brown. Mr. Brown joined STC in 1967 and was an active leader, mentor, and supporter of the Washington, DC - Metro Baltimore Chapter for many years until he followed the sun to Hawaii in the early 1990s. One of his special interests was this competition. He is a past president of the Chapter and of STC (1988-1989). In 1993, he was elected a Fellow, the highest rank the Society can confer on a member.

Eligibility

All students in grades 9 through 12 in the public, private, and parochial schools of the Washington, DC metropolitan area (including the city of Alexandria, and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, Prince William, Montgomery, and Prince Georges Counties) are eligible to enter. Each student may submit only one entry. Each entry may be co-authored by up to four students.

Awards

If you are a full-time student in high school, we encourage you to submit your best work to the STC Washington, DC - Metro Baltimore Chapter Summit Competition for Technical Communication In the competition, the student who submits the best student entry will receive an $800 award (If the entry has multiple contributors, the $800 award will be divided among them.)

For your $45 student entry fee, you will receive:

Expert written feedback on your work by professional judges
Opportunity to earn Merit, Excellence, or Distinguished awards from the STC WDC-MB Chapter
Up to $800 in awards!

Enter today for your chance to win! http://www.stcwdc.org/compete.shtml

* Note: All student entries must adhere to the competition rules given at http://www.stcwdc.org/competition_entryrules.shtml.

Winners and their teachers will be notified by mail, listed on the Web site, and announced in our blog, Twitter account, Facebook, and our LinkedIn group. See the Winners Lists for previous winners of the competition.

Current Status

In the past, an award was given to the top three winners of a competition for the best technical papers. We have been unable to find volunteers to staff the Education Committee but starting in 2009, the chapter will award one $800 award for the best student entry in each of our technical communication competitions.

Enquiries about the award, or interest in working on the Education Committee, should be sent to Carolyn Kelley Klinger at

Basis for judging

A team of professional scientists, educators, editors, and writers will judge the entries.

Judges will consider the overall quality of the student's writing, including presence of a clear and worthwhile thesis; coherent organization, including effective use of headings and subheadings; correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling; appropriate use of graphic aids; and proper use and documentation of reference materials and sources.

The Society for Technical Communication

Members of STC communicate in many ways. They are writers, editors, teachers, publishers, graphic artists, designers, researchers, producers and presenters of audiovisual materials, and marketing specialists. Their level of knowledge and experience ranges from that of college students to renowned experts. Equal numbers of men and women are STC members.

The Washington, DC - Metro Baltimore Chapter (WDC), the Capital Chapter, is one of the largest in the Society with almost 500 members. Our members are employed by private firms, government agencies, and academic institutions, or work as consultants. They share their expertise with the community and with newcomers to the technical communication field in many ways.

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is a Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational, scientific, and charitable organization dedicated to furthering the art of communicating technical information and promoting the education, improvement, and advancement of its members. STC is the world's largest professional organization serving the technical communication profession. STC was established in 1953 and currently has 130 chapters, 22 SIGs, and around 11,500 members worldwide.

How to Donate to the Award

You may use our PayPal account or pay by check.

Using Our PayPal Account

You may use our PayPal Verified account to make a secure online donation to the award using your credit card, debit card, bank account, or by paying money from a funded PayPal account. To use our PayPal account, click the PayPal button below. See the PayPal FAQ for information about using PayPal.

Paying by Check

To donate by check, make your check payable to STC Washington, DC - Metro Baltimore Chapter. Please write on the check that the payment is an "Austin T. Brown memorial award donation" and mail your check to the chapter treasurer.

Please contact for the mailing address.

Federal Tax ID for the Chapter: 52-1296396.

Federal Tax ID for the Society: 31-4424296.

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