No people come into possession of a culture without having paid a heavy price for it.
The Department of English at the University of Waterloo invites grade 11 students in Ontario who are Black, Indigenous, or students of colour to submit an essay of between 500 to 1000 words to the 2027 Writing in Colour: English Grade 11 Essay Colloquium Award.
The topic for this year is culture.
Students with the top selected essays will be invited to take part in a colloquium at the University of Waterloo consisting of a seminar, workshop, and tour of the school. At the colloquium, one essay will be selected to win a $1000 prize. The author of the winning essay will also be offered an opportunity to meet with some members of the university community who could be helpful to their future ambitions.
Your essay can explore the theme of culture through a reflection on your own experiences or the experiences of someone else. You can reflect on something that happened in the past, something that is happening in the present, or something that you hope will happen in the future. This essay can be any format (narrative, descriptive, persuasive, or expository) and can discuss any aspect of this year's topic.
In some ways, culture creates a space of belonging, while in other ways it can divide us. Culture can present itself through rituals, shared histories, and celebrations. You can reflect on the subtle, little-known aspects of it (like daily habits, gestures, beliefs) or the more familiar traits (like dress, food, language). It can also be a combination of all of these aspects and more.
Some questions to think about as you reflect on this topic:
- Why is culture important?
- How does culture provide an understanding of a community?
- How is culture celebrated?
- How is culture censored, eroded, or appropriated?
- How is cultural identity defined?
To submit your essay, go to the English Department Website.
The deadline to submit essays is March 1, 2027.
Please direct questions to the English Department Awards Committee (Carter Neal, Sarah Tolmie and Lamees Al Ethari) at englaward@uwaterloo.ca.
2026 Writing in Colour Contest
The 2026 Writing in Colour contest focused on the theme of community. The symposium took place on May 25 and featured participants Sara Almohamed (Oakridge Secondary School), Guneet Kaur Dhillon (Castlebrooke Secondary School), Jaeden Forrester (Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute), Keisha Graham (Glendale Secondary School), and Tasneem Yonis (R.H. King Academy). Guneet Kaur Dhillon won the award for best essay for her piece, “Tied Each Morning.”
For more information on the 2026 colloquium, see UW English 2026 Writing in Colour Colloquium in our departmental blog.
The 2025 Writing in Colour Contest
The 2025 Writing in Colour colour contest focused on the theme of self-discovery. The symposium took place on June 10 and featured participants Salma Aly (Milton District High School), Francesca Morales (Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School), Nika Rowshani (Markville Secondary School), Rabneet Kaur Shergill (Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute), and Nadhifo Suleiman (Central Peel Secondary School). Francesca Morales won the award for best essay for her piece, “The Voice of my Mother.”
For more information on the 2025 colloquium, see UW English 2025 Writing in Colour Colloquium in our departmental blog.
The 2024 Writing in Colour Contest
The 2024 Writing in Colour colour contest focused on the theme of connections. The symposium took place on May 15 and featured participants Cheryl Yefon Jokwi (Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School), Krushni Nizahan (Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy), Yaaline Vigneswaran (Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy), Darcie Watson-Green (Eastwood Collegiate Institute), and Mingzhi Xue (Milton District High School). Cheryl Yefon Jokwi with the award for best essay for her piece, “Give People a Chance.”
For more information on the 2024 colloquium, see UW English 2024 Writing in Colour Colloquium in our departmental blog.
The 2023 Writing in Colour Colloquium
The 2023 contest focused on the theme of displacement. Colloquium participants were Burlington Central High School student Noor Grewal, Aileen Jun from Lauren Heights Secondary, Garth Webb Secondary student Farah Khader, and Hyewon Lee and DeyJah Simon-Blair, both from Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute. Farah Khader's paper, "What Am I If Not Capable?" won first prize.
For more information on the 2023 colloquium, see Writing in Colour Essay Contest and Colloquium in our departmental blog.
The 2022 Writing in Colour Colloquium
The 2022 contest focused on the topic of culture. Colloquium participants Alice Crosby, Diya Dugh, Shaian Harris, Aishwarya Puttur, and Dylan Verheyen visited a UWaterloo English class, participated in a writing workshop, and discussed their essays in the Writing in Colour colloquium. Shaian Harris's essay “I Love My Crown” won top prize.
For more information on the 2022 contest, see the Grade 11 Writing in Colour Colloquium post in our department's blog.