BYU Law to host first of its kind storytelling skills competition for law students

This a competition that invites law students to write a story about their life and the law. Ten finalists from around the country will win an all-expense paid trip to Provo, UT on March 16 to 19, 2019 to read their story on the BYU Mainstage before a live audience (their stories will also be recorded for later broadcast on BYU radio). Plus, the finalists will also get a day trip to Moab. Nice!  Below are more details which you can also read at the BYU "Lawstories" website here. There's also a companion story discussing the genesis of the BYU competition at Law.com here.

To present in BYU LawStories on the Mainstage write a true story about your life and the law. You can focus on one main idea or weave several experiences together into a thematic whole. Remember that your experience does not need to be dramatic to be meaningful: significant events and epiphanies can occur in everyday experiences. Make sure you go beyond merely writing an anecdote, and create a story that has a narrative arc and illustrates growth, change, or a perceptual shift. Being specific and descriptive will help you connect with your readers and listeners, and lend your story authenticity and interest.

 

Ten selected storytellers from around the nation will receive:

 

• All-expenses paid trip to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, on March 13 – 16, 2019.
• Half-day seminar on storytelling taught by nationally-recognized storyteller Sam Payne, host of The             Apple Seed on BYU Radio.
• Participants will present their stories to an audience at BYU LawStories on the Mainstage
• Participants will record their stories at the BYU Radio studio.
• Storytellers will travel to Moab to visit one of Utah’s iconic national parks.

Participation Guidelines

• Due: 2.20.2019, Noon (MDT), to [email protected]
• Titled
• 4 – 6 double-spaced pages in length (1000 – 1500 words)
• Non-fiction
• Tied in some way to your life and the law
• Original, unpublished work
• Content must not be (a) defamatory, threatening, or an invasion of a right of privacy of another person; (b) bigoted, hateful, racially or otherwise offensive; (c) violent, vulgar, obscene, pornographic or otherwise sexually explicit.

Judging Criteria

The narrative arc must show evidence of growth, change, or a perceptual shift. The story connects with the reader and listener, and shows more than tells. The story has a meaningful theme and is mechanically sound (outside editing is encouraged).

Submission Guidelines

Due: 2.20.2019, Noon (MDT), to [email protected]

Format: Word document

Cover page: List your name, contact information, and title of your story. Your title must also appear at the top of the story itself.

Read additional details here including "Rules and Terms" and FAQs. 

(jbl).