National Punctuation Day® Announces 2013 Contest
Pinole, CA (PRWEB) September 14, 2013 -- The 10th annual National Punctuation Day® (NPD), the September 24 holiday that reminds America that “a comma is not a state of being”, celebrates 2013 holiday with a serious question: Has National Punctuation Day® made a difference?
Is there hope for proper punctuation, good grammar, and intelligent, incisive writing among young people?
NPD was founded in 2004 with the hope that—if only for one day a year —the importance of correct punctuation would be brought to the forefront of people's minds. With tongues firmly implanted in cheeks, people were told how to celebrate National Punctuation Day®.
Folks were told to sleep late, take a long shower or bath, go out for coffee and a bagel (or two), read a newspaper and circle all of the punctuation errors found with a red pen, take a leisurely stroll while paying close attention to store signs with incorrectly punctuated words, stop in those stores to correct the owners, visit a bookstore and purchase a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style, look up all the words previously circled, offer self-congratulations on becoming a better written communicator, go home, sit down, write an error-free letter to a friend, and take a nap, for it had been a long day.
Now, on the 10th NPD, has anything has changed? That’s the subject of the NPD contest this year. In an essay of no more than 250 words, explain how National Punctuation Day® has affected the way you think about punctuation (or not), and how the holiday has affected your writing (or not).
Send essays to Jeff(at)NationalPunctuationDay(dot)com by October 31. Please use proper punctuation. Contest winners will be announced in December.
Founded in 2004 by former newspaperman Jeff Rubin, NPD is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events and The Teacher’s Calendar, two directories published by McGraw-Hill.
The NPD website, in addition to highlighting the latest in literacy news and featuring incorrectly punctuated signs from all over the world, serves as a resource that helps educators teach good writing skills and helps students understand the basics of punctuation. Business people worldwide use it as a reference guide.
There’s even a punctuation newsletter! The Exclamation Point! contains articles on the latest literacy news from around the world, book reviews, and commentary.
NPD is celebrated in public and private schools, and universities, businesses, and corporations with activities, games, programs, and contests. It has inspired people to pay attention not only to their p's and q's, but also their commas, semicolons, and ellipses. NPD reminds us of the importance of proper punctuation for communicating clearly at home, school, or at work.
NPD has received worldwide media attention. Each year, Rubin is a guest on dozens of radio shows, and NPD receives significant newspaper coverage throughout the United States and the world. NPD has been covered in Canada, England, the Netherlands, Korea, Australia, Ghana, Malta, India, and the Philippines.
Visit the NPD website to learn how schools and companies can participate in National Punctuation Day®. To schedule an interview with Jeff Rubin, phone (510) 789-8812 or (510) 724-9507, or e-mail him at Jeff(at)NationalPunctuationDay(dot)com.
How to Celebrate National Punctuation Day What can you do to participate in National Punctuation Day® on September 24? 1. Visit the NPD website to become familiar with punctuation rules and issues. 2. Organize punctuation activities at your school, library, or office. 3. Share punctuation peeves with founder Jeff Rubin on his website. 4. Send photos of incorrectly punctuated signage to Jeff Rubin at his website. 5. Forward this information to spread the importance of proper punctuation.
Jeff Rubin, National Punctuation Day®, +1 (510) 724-9507, [email protected]
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