Every year, there is an essay contest held by the James Jones – Literary Society. The Literary Society was created in 1992, when an eclectic band of renowned scholars and individuals from James Jones’s hometown (Robinson, Illinois) decided to create it. The Society aims to further appreciation for Jones’s writings and his other accomplishments that are significant to the study and appreciation of 20th Century literature. The Society seeks to keep his works in print, to encourage Jones scholarship, and to honor him in several ways one of which is this essay contest. This year, Mrs. Hyde’s English IV class is participating in this contest. This contest is a response to one of Jones’s short stories, “The Valentine.” The rules are listed below:
1. The contest is open to senior students at the four Crawford County (IL) high schools and to senior students at Marshall High School in Clark County, but only if both the principal and that school’s English Department will accept co-sponsorship of the contest with the JJLS.
2. Contestants are asked to write an essay of 600-800 words in length on the subject of the short story “The Valentine” by famed Robinson author James Jones, which appears in a collection of Jones’s work entitled The Ice Cream Headache and other Stories.
3. A competing high school’s English department will collect the essays written at its institution and submit what it considers to be the five best entries to Diane Reed, Chairperson of the James Jones Literary Society, for final judging.
4. Each participating school may set its own deadline for the submission of its contest entries but the essays of the five finalists chosen from among said entries must be forwarded by the school principal/English teacher to the JJLS judge, Diane Reed.
5. Entries should be typed, double spaced, and submitted along with the name, address, school and home telephone number of the writer, plus word count at end of essay.
6. Previously, a copy of Jones’s story “The Valentine” has been sent to each competing school, with the permission of Akashic Books, New York, and Kaylie Jones, James Jones’s daughter, as reading material for essay contest entrants. If more copies are needed, please notify me immediately.
7. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top essayists at each competing school, with the number and amounts of the awards to be determined by the Jones Society based on the number of contestants. If class size equals 10 or more students, 1st = $75, 2nd = 50, 3rd = $25; If under 10 students, one prize of $50.
8. In publicizing the results, up to five finalists at each school will be listed as having received first, second, or third place or honorable mention awards. Students must agree to this publicity.
9. The entries of all finalists from each school become the property of the JJLS and may be published at the discretion of or with permission from the Society.
