What is the Young Spurs Writing Contest?

This is the eighth year the University of North Texas’ Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference has teamed up with the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum and Biographers International to offer this prestigious opportunity to young writers.

The Young Spurs writing contest is open to U.S. high school and community college students, between 14–20 years old as of the entry deadline.

Students who enter their work to the Young Spurs contest have a chance to win complimentary registration and accommodations to the three-day Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference on July 19–21, 2019, in Grapevine, Texas. A complimentary registration and accommodations also will be awarded to their teacher/mentors. A small travel stipend may be available.

Young Spurs will attend a half-day workshop on Friday, July 19, critiquing their winning entries and will spend the rest of the weekend attending lectures and panel discussions.

Mahima Das, Lexington High School, profile of “Esther Ledeberg: A Forgotten Genius”

Robert Dohrman, College Station High School, “Beto O’Rourke:Political Genius or Unrealistic Dreamer”

Anya Galvan, Bryan Collegiate High School, “Vera Rubin: The Path to Changing the World”

Dante Kirkman, “Clarence “Skip” Ellis — The First Black PhD in Computer Science”

Lauren Moore, “The Ghana Empire: Forgotten Flourishment”

Shiva Saravanan, A&M Consolidated High School, “The Unsung Genius of John Von Neumann”

Valeri Sevilla, Bryan Collegiate High School, “An Expected Genius — Dmitri Mendeleev”

Maite Tovar, Bryan Collegiate High School, “The Gift of Failure — Nikola Tesla”

Lizette Vela, Bryan Collegiate High School, “Underestimating Marilyn Vos Savant”

Andrew Zhang, A&M Consolidated High School, “Malala: The Revival of Nation, Mind and Spirit”