Nancy Drew Comparison Essay Contest
“Nancy-minded” 
Words from the contest judge and creator

Intelligence, craftiness, and wit are just a few of the many categories we often associate with Nancy.  With this contest I wanted to impress some of the same elements into the minds and hearts of all the contestants.   I encouraged everyone to learn something new, research all the facts, and create something inspirational.  My canvas of choice was comparative essays.  Nancy is a hero to all of us, but I wondered if someone real (non-fictional) could embody all, or at least most, of her qualities.  Is there or has there ever been, a person among us that could match up to her greatest strengths?  That was the heart of this contest.

We may not all be scholars, and we may not all be word-smiths, but we do share many characteristics; creativity, individuality, and (of course) a love for Nancy Drew.   There was always the quandary of how to separate the essays, how to judge the winners.  And for this, I decided to create three very different categories to select each of the winners.  All essays were judged with these 2 main tenets.  Each category is then separated with 2 other major qualifications.

1.       Quality of Content – The amount of information, as well as the manner in which it was organized.

2.       Quality of Comparison –The effectiveness of your comparison, and how strong it was.

The first award was for the most Well-Written essay.  The winner of this award showed high marks in the two primary qualifications as well as effectively achieving the following:

1.       Quality of Grammar – Did you spell things correctly? Did you use proper grammar?

2.       Quality of Essay – How well did it achieve the 2 main points?  How effective was it as an essay?

The second award was for the most Entertaining essay.  This award was given to the person who demonstrated clever or creative techniques with the creation of their essay.

1.       Creative Content – How interesting was the essay to read?  What methods did the writer employ to keep me motivated?

2.       Essay Content – Did it still succeed as an essay?

The third award was for the most Abstract Comparison.   This award was given to the most unique comparison (choosing someone “off the beaten path” so to speak.)

1.       Uniqueness of Content – How was this comparison different from others?

2.       Quality of Uniqueness – How unknown was this person?  How difficult was the research?

I enjoyed reading all of the essays, and it was very hard for me to narrow the selection down to just three individuals.  I appreciated all of the wonderful historical people I learned about; Ellen Ochoa, Kate Warne, Diane Crump, and Sylvia Earle (just to name a few.)  Some of you wrote on famous stars of days passed, such as; Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, and Alfred Hitchcock.  And I even got to discover a few new things about some living legends like Miley Cyrus, The Fray, and Jennifer Connelly (kudos to the Labyrinth reference.)  Each of you shared interesting insight into your heroes, your muses, and most importantly, your lives.  Please accept my heartfelt gratitude; for the opportunity to hear your wishes, thoughts, and dreams.

~Ian
Her Interactive
marketing asset designer