Volunteer to Judge Creative Writing
Are you a writer or enthusiastic reader? Do you want to help inspire the next generation of authors?
Apply to serve as a judge for our Mosaic Creative Writing Program by February 9, 2026.
Check out the FAQs below for a recap of our program and judging expectations.
What is the contest? Mosaic is our creative writing program geared towards students who are enrolled in MCPS middle schools, between 6th – 8th grades. Students write on the topic of “My Culture” in the form of short story, poetry, or essay. Mosaic allows them to fully explore their feelings and cultural identity at home and in the classroom.
What skills are needed? Judges are needed to evaluate students' written work, in the form of short story, poetry, or essay based on a provided rubric. Judges should be compassionate and open-minded readers with a firm grasp of grammar and appreciation for diversity in literature. Applicants should feel comfortable using technology for submitting scores and navigating the FOLMC website.
Where does this take place? From the comfort of your home. Judges will download a .pdf file of entries and upload scores via the FOLMC website.
What’s the timeline in 2025/6? Judges will be provided one grade of student entries on or about February 26th with scores being due to FOLMC by March 18th. If there is a tie, judges may be asked to read submissions from a different grade level to break the tie. Those entries would be provided by March 21st with scores being due March 27th. Each grade level is approximately 50 entries, including all three genres. Due to the varied length of entries it is impossible to determine the exact amount of time needed to read, judge, and submit scores, however, judges have frequently indicated they had enough time to complete all tasks and enjoyed the program immensely. Dates are approximate and can change based on current events.
What are judges provided? Each judge is provided a password protected site at folmc.org with the scoring rubric, scoring grid, and student entries. Once judging is over, judges will be invited to attend the awards ceremony featuring a notable author and gifted a copy of the published anthology.
Are previous judges permitted to participate again? Yes, we encourage previous judges to re-apply to participate.
