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For students in Grades 9 through 12

When possible, the Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) invites high school students in the Washington metropolitan area to submit entries to its annual Austin T. Brown Technical Communication Award Competition.

The Chapter sponsors this competition to encourage the development of technical writing skills among students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

The competition was started in 1962 by then Chapter President, Peter A. Smith. He helped establish, promote, and implement the Washington, D.C. chapter's Science Writing Contest for high school students in the Washington Metropolitan area. It has been funded by the Chapter since 1964. The competition, formerly called the High School Science Writing Contest, was renamed in the 1990s to honor Austin T. Brown, who managed the competitions for many years. Mr. Brown joined STC in 1967 and was an active leader, mentor, and supporter of the Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) Chapter for many years until he followed the sun to Hawaii in the early 1990s. One of his special interests was this competition. He is a past president of the Chapter and of STC (1988-1989). Austin also served as a member of the STC Board of Directors, representing our region. In 1993, he was elected a Fellow, the highest rank the Society can confer on a member.: m

Current Status

STC reseeded the funds for the high school contest in 2002 with a grant of $1500 and it was renamed as the Austin T. Brown Technical Communication Award at the request of the STC Board. In the past, an award was given to the top three winners of a competition for the best technical papers. Unfortunately, we have been unable to find volunteers to staff the Education Committee for the past several years. We hope a new volunteer who is interested in managing a student competition will step up in the future.

How to Get an Austin T. Brown Memorial Award

In lieu of the Austin T. Brown Technical Communication Award competition, the chapter began giving awards in 2009 for the best student entry in our STC Alliance Competition.

If there is no winning student entry in the STC Alliance Competition a school or student may apply for an Austin T. Brown Memorial Award by filling out the Austin T. Brown Memorial Award Application form and writing a 400-500 word essay about why you would like the award. This should include your plans for using the award and your plans for future education or employment beyond high school.

Questions?

Enquiries about the award, or interest in working on the Education Committee, should be sent to Adam Bradley at chapter president

STC Alliance Competition Competition Eligibility

All students in grades 9 through 12 in the public, private, and parochial schools of the Washington, DC metropolitan area (including the city of Alexandria, and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, Prince William, Montgomery, and Prince Georges Counties) are eligible to enter. Each student may submit only one entry. Each entry may be co-authored by up to four to six students.

Awards

If you are a full-time student in high school, we encourage you to submit your best work to the STC Alliance Competition. In the competition, the student who submits the best student entry will receive a Best Student Entry award.

For your student entry fee, you will receive

• Expert written feedback on your work by professional judges
• Opportunity to earn Merit, Excellence, Distinguished, and Best Student Entry awards from
  the STC WDCB Chapter

Enter today for your chance to win! https://competition.stcwdc.org/

* Note: All student entries must adhere to the STC competition rules given at competition entry rules.  Updated

Winners and their teachers will be notified by mail, listed on the website, and announced in our Events & News site, Twitter account, Facebook, and our LinkedIn group. Awards will be presented at an Awards Celebration on (date to be announced) 2023.

Basis for judging

A team of professional scientists, educators, editors, and writers will judge the entries.

Judges will consider the overall quality of the student's writing, including presence of a clear and worthwhile thesis; coherent organization, including effective use of headings and subheadings; correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling; appropriate use of graphic aids; and proper use and documentation of reference materials and sources.

The Society for Technical Communication

Members of STC communicate in many ways. They are writers, editors, teachers, publishers, graphic artists, designers, researchers, producers and presenters of audiovisual materials, and marketing specialists. Their level of knowledge and experience ranges from that of college students to renowned experts. Equal numbers of men and women are STC members.

The Washington, DC – Baltimore (WDCB) Chapter (WDCB), has many local STC members as well as STC members living in other states and countries. Our members are employed by private firms, government agencies, and academic institutions, or work as consultants. They share their expertise with the community and with newcomers to the technical communication field in many ways.

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is a Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational, scientific, and charitable organization dedicated to furthering the art of communicating technical information and promoting the education, improvement, and advancement of its members. STC was established in 1953 and currently has 37 professional chapters, 9 student chapters, 12 special interest groups (SIGs), and around 6,000 members worldwide in about 50 countries.

How to Donate to the Award

You may use our PayPal account or pay by check.

Using Our PayPal Account

You may use our PayPal Verified account to make a secure online donation to the award using your credit card, debit card, bank account, or by paying money from a funded PayPal account. To use our PayPal account, click the PayPal button below. See the PayPal FAQ for information about using PayPal.

Paying by Check

To donate by check, make your check payable to STC Washington, DC – Baltimore Chapter. Please write on the check that the payment is an "Austin T. Brown memorial award donation" and mail your check to the chapter treasurer.

Federal Tax ID for the Chapter: 52-1296396.

Federal Tax ID for the Society: 31-4424296.

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