Authors’ Challenge: Writers of AUC, Unite!

The Authors’ Challenge, a new Provost initiative which launched last week, aims to entrench writing into students’ day-to-day lives, rather than having it viewed as a tiresome academic errand.

From writing short stories, graphic novels, podcasting, and script writing to spoken word poetry, the Challenge encourages students to experiment with different multi-modal forms of writing.

One winner from each category will have the chance to travel abroad on a writing retreat, a writing course or an internship to continue their authoring journey and gain international experience at the same time.

AUC Alumna Farida Hussein, the outreach and program coordinator of the Challenge, said that the competition is in workshop format. There are three workshops offered for each category led by experts from academia and practice.

She says this is to offer an alternative to strict submission formats that don’t involve long-term guidance, and also to expose the students to different writing techniques and practices and allow them time to redraft their pieces in response to mentor feedback.

Co-Founder of the Challenge and Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior from the Department of Management Nellie El Enany explained that internationalization is central to AUC’s vision.

“We know that students learn lots of new skills when they travel abroad independently. We want students to develop their writing skills in an international community while making new friends and learning about new cultures,” said El Enany.

El Enany added that this experience will strengthen students’ studies, self-development and career prospects.

The winners will travel abroad and tell the AUC community about their experience with the competition, becoming writing ambassadors for the student community.

Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Kim Fox, facilitating the podcasting category, agreed with El Enany on the importance of the international experience that the competition offers.

“We want students to get excited about writing by offering travel as an incentive. Students won’t receive actual cash, but they will have the opportunity to have an experience that has financial value,” said Fox.

Hussein added that the Authors’ Challenge is targeting undergraduate students who are interested in exploring different creative mediums.

“Under the guidance of expert writing mentors, we want students who are already somewhat interested in writing to apply, but we also want students who are curious about writing but aren’t sure where to start, as well as students who want to improve their writing skills,” said Hussein.

There has been great student response to the initiative so far.

“We have lots of students signing up especially for the short story and spoken word categories. We’d like more entries for the podcast categories, and hope that as students get to know more about The Authors’ Challenge and what the categories are all about they will sign up more,” added El Enany.

Twenty-year-old Mechanical Engineering Student Hana El Khawanki believes the Challenge will provide an excellent opportunity for people like her who “do not have the opportunity to put their pen to paper,” due to time constraints.

The first set of workshops will start on November 27, and winners will be announced at the AUC Research and Creativity Convention in April 2019.