Marie Hill Youth Writing Award offers $1,000 in prize money

The 2005 Marie Hill Youth Writing Award will carry cash prizes totaling $1,000.

The contest, which was started by the noted California author, is open to persons age 18 or younger for articles or poems about harness racing. The submission can be either fiction or non-fiction. The winning entry will be published in Hoof Beats magazine in 2005, and the deadline for entries is May 31, 2005.

The winning author will get a $500 check while the winner of second place will receive $250, and the third-place author $100. Six $25 awards for honorable mention will also be awarded. The contest is sponsored by the U.S. Trotting Association with support from Christopher Schick, a Standardbred owner from California.

The winner of the first Marie Hill Youth Writing Award was Ryan Jordan of Pataskala, Ohio. Marie Hill and Hoof Beats editor Dean A. Hoffman made the presentation to Jordan between races on Little Brown Jug Day in Delaware, Ohio.

Marie Hill, a native of New Brunswick in Canada’s Maritime provinces, is well known in harness racing as the author of books on Adios, Single G, Delvin Miller, and Joe O’Brien. She has had a lifelong love of the sport, and she hopes that the award will encourage young people to write about harness horses.

“It was great to see what a large response we had to the first contest,” says Hill. “I didn’t know what to expect, but the level of writing was excellent overall and Ryan’s story was a terrific piece of writing.” Jordan’s story “The Dream” was published in Hoof Beats in June, 2004.

Judging will be handled by the U.S. Trotting Association, and the decision of the judges is final.

There is no length restriction on the entries, but only one entry per person will be accepted. The writing must be the original work of the author, who must be 18 years of age or younger on May 31, 2005. For questions, or more information, please contact the USTA at 1-877-800-8782, ext. 3260 or email sep@ustrotting.com.

Send entries to:

Marie Hill Youth Writing Award

c/o Hoof Beats

750 Michigan Avenue

Columbus OH 43215