Announcing the $5,000 Nothing but the Truth College Scholarship Winner!

I am beyond thrilled to announce the results of my $5,000 Nothing but the Truth College Scholarship essay contest.

Truth: Over 400 young adults around the country shared their essays about what they hold true about themselves. These essays were extraordinary, and it was a privilege to read them. Honestly, I feel so hopeful about our future, knowing that these people will be leading the way.

Truth: My panel of judges read all the essays—from students in 35 states! We winnowed the essays down to 30 semi-finalists. After another round of reading, seven essays emerged with the highest cumulative scores. These were read by my truly amazing editor at Little, Brown Books/Hachette Book Group in New York City, who had the honor of being the sole final round judge.

Truth: All essays were evaluated using the following criteria: originality, creativity in applying a truth statement to the applicant’s personal experiences, eloquence, and appeal to readers.

Truth: It is with great pleasure that I announce the winners of the Nothing but the Truth college scholarship—as well as my editor’s thoughts about their work:

Grand Prize Winner of the $5,000 scholarship
Kali Z. from Irvine, CA
“So beautifully written and structured!”

First place winner of the $250 Little, Brown Books library
Montana S. from Santa Fe, NM
“Hilarious! Great message and voice.”

Second place winner of the $100 Little, Brown Books library
Katherine M. from Cupertino, CA
“Creative, poignant.”

Enjoy the award-winning essays. And make sure to check out my main website often, www.justinachenheadley.com, since I have plans for another contest that will be launched next year with my forthcoming novel, Girl Overboard.

Thanks once again to everyone for sharing your Truth Statements. As Patty Ho realized in my novel, Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), knowing who you are and what you stand for is more than the first step to writing a college essay. It’s how you figure out what you want to do with your life. And that is the Truth.

All the best, Justina Chen Headley
www.justinachenheadley.com
www.myspace.com/justinachenheadley