Writing In Colour

I could no more escape than I could think of my identity. Perhaps, I thought, the two things are involved with each other. When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.

Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

People go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.

St. Augustine, Confessions

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 2024 Writing in Colour: English Grade 11 Essay Colloquium Award. The topic for this year is self-discovery

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 be narrative, descriptive, persuasive, or expository, and can discuss any aspect of the topic of self-discovery. The term “self-discovery” can have many different meanings. Most broadly, it may refer to a process through which we come to understand and be aware of who we uniquely are, a process that might also involve accepting or valuing ourselves. It can also refer to the discovery of particular things that are central to who we are, such as what our values, desires, and dislikes are, what our purpose or goal in life is, what our vocation or career path is, or how our friends, family, culture, or society shape our identity. Sometimes self-discovery involves moving beyond the identities others define for us in order to find an identity that seems more truly our own.

Finally, self-discovery may also be a process of finding out who we can be rather than just who we are. We may have an idea of who we want to be and try to transform ourselves to match our idea, learning about ourselves from our successes and failures in this process.

Your essay can explore the theme of self-discovery 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.

You might consider any of the following prompts to help you brainstorm your essay topic: 

  • When we talk about discovering ourselves, what is it that we discover? Is there some true or authentic self that we can find, and if there is, how do we know when we’ve found it?
  • Is it possible for the process of self-discovery to be mostly or entirely completed, or is it always an incomplete process?
  • What are the external forces or experiences (in society, culture, or personal relationships) that can hinder or assist us in the process of self-discovery?
  • What are the factors within ourselves that can hinder or assist the process of self-discovery?
  • What do we do when the person we find ourselves to be is different than the person we thought or hoped we were?
  • How do factors like age, culture, ethnicity, and social or economic background relate to the process of self-discovery?
  • To what degree do we discover who we are versus create who we are?
  • How do our relationships with other people relate to our discovery or understanding of ourselves?

The deadline to submit essays is March 3, 2025.

Please direct questions to the English Department Awards Committee (Bruce Dadey and Carter Neal) at englaward@uwaterloo.ca

Submission Instructions


Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Should the paper be submitted electronically or printed and mailed?
    • Please submit your essay digitally via our contest portal.
  • What format should the essay be in?
    • Please use either .docx or .pdf format.
  • What is the word count limit for the essay? Can it be under 500 words or over 1000 words?
    • Ideally, you want to stay as close to that word count range as possible. However, a few words under (or over) will not disqualify your paper. A references page (if your work does use references) would not count toward your word count limit.
  • Can I submit more than one essay to the contest?
    • Submissions are limited to one entry per person.
  • I’m not in Grade 11, can I still submit?
    • You must be registered in Grade 11 to be eligible for this award.
  • Do I need to register for this award?
    • By submitting an entry, you will automatically be considered for the award and colloquium. Invitations to the colloquium will be sent out in April.
  • Do I need to answer one of the specific questions on self-discovery listed above?
    • No. Those are just there to help generate ideas and to demonstrate the wide range of topics that fit the scope of this year’s theme. You can use the ideas to help you think about the essay, you can answer one directly, or you can talk about the theme in some other way. So long as your paper engaged with the year’s theme, it will be accepted as a valid submission.

Submission Instructions


The 2024 Writing in Colour Contest

Writing in Colour 2024 participants.

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.