Baking Contest Highlights 6th Annual 
National Punctuation Day, September 24

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Casual shortcuts bred by e-mailing and text messaging have no place in school papers or professional business writing

Pinole, CA (PRWEB) September 14, 2009

Hold on to your oven mitts! The first Punctuation Baking Contest will highlight the celebration of the 6th Annual National Punctuation Day (NPD) on September 24, 2009.

NPD is celebrated in schools and businesses throughout the world 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 since former newspaperman Jeff Rubin founded the holiday in 2004, with newspaper coverage from Manila to London and from Seoul to Seattle, in addition to broad radio and TV coverage in the United States -- including a short segment on Regis and Kelly in 2008.

NPD is recognized by Chase's Calendar of Events and listed in its sister publication, The Teacher's Calendar, two directories published by McGraw-Hill.

RULES FOR THE PUNCTUATION BAKING CONTEST:

• Entrants must send a recipe and a sample of their cookie, cake, pastry, doughnut, or bread baked in the shape of a punctuation mark to National Punctuation Day, 1517 Buckeye Court, Pinole, CA 94564.
• Entrants must send two print photos -- one putting the item in an oven before baking and the other taking it out when it's done. Make sure we can see the baked goods clearly.
• First-, second-, and third-place winners will receive a box of non-edible NPD goodies, and all entrants' photos and recipes will be published on the National Punctuation Day website (http://www.NationalPunctuationDay.com).
• All entries must be received by September 30, 2009.

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.

"Casual shortcuts bred by e-mailing and text messaging have no place in school papers or professional business writing," Rubin says. "In the business world, words have power and help decision-makers form impressions immediately. Careless punctuation mistakes cost time, money, and productivity.

"There's an epidemic of poor punctuation in the United States, much like the Swine flu. It's too bad there's no vaccine to prevent it."

HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL PUNCTUATION DAY

What can you do to participate in National Punctuation Day on September 24!

1. Go to http://www.NationalPunctuationDay.com and 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 at Jef [at] NationalPunctuationDay.com.
4. Send photos of incorrectly punctuated signage to Jeff Rubin at Jeff [at] NationalPunctuationDay.com
5. Forward this news as a way to spread the importance of proper punctuation.

To learn how schools and companies can participate in National Punctuation Day, or to schedule an interview with Jeff Rubin, the Punctuation Man, visit http://www.NationalPunctuationDay.com, call Jeff at (877) 588-1212, or e-mail Jeff at Jeff [a] NationalPunctuationDay.com.

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