Write Engineer Contest

Writers are encouraged to experience the outdoors and reflect on the engineering design of the many spaces around them as stewards of St. Louis. We hope that the spaces in our city, including the Gateway Arch, Eads Bridge, the Old Courthouse, and many others will inspire writers to create pieces that recognize the ways that engineering is influenced by science and technology, the influence of engineering on society, as well as the ways that engineering intersects with the natural world.

In recognition of the challenges engineers faced in creation of St. Louis architecture, specifically: the Gateway Arch, Eads Bridge, and the Old Courthouse, writers may submit stories, essays, or poems that creatively address the theme, My St. Louis, writing about:

• a special place in St. Louis and why its design is meaningful

• a special place in St. Louis that you would like to design and build

Entries will be judged on: content (how well the theme has been addressed), voice (word choice and style), and merits of composition (grammar and organization)

Stories and essays should be 1,000 words or less; poetry should be 3 - 30 lines

A winner from each of the five categories will have their writing recognized and receive an emerging writer's prize pack including items from the Gateway Arch National Park.

The age categories are: Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and Adult.

Please provide submission information below and attach a file of the writing. Deadline for submissions is Sunday, October 23rd of 2022. Contact Gateway Writing Project with questions at gwp@umsl.edu

If you or one of your students enters, you earn the Write Engineer Badge!