How to Write the Perfect Article for Student Edge (and Win Our Writing Challenges)

Fave this page. Here are the tips you need to get published on Student Edge.

Are you a budding writer? A would-be social commentator? A critic? A poet? Just someone with an opinion to share?

We want to hear from you!

The best way to get published on Student Edge is to see if we have any Writing Challenges running.

If there's an opportunity to submit an article, make sure you closely read the instructions and stick to them as closely as possible. (If you still have more questions, you can always email editor@studentedge.com.au.)

However, if you want to know what might give your entry an edge, follow the advice below!

The Basics:

These are the bare essentials we need from submissions. If you’re not managing at least this much, don’t wait by your phone for a congratulatory call anytime soon.

1. Don’t just write a one-line response.

If the question of the week is, "Are apples better than oranges?" don’t simply reply with, "Sure." Even worse, don’t respond with, "¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

2. Do explain your answer in about 400 words.

Maybe you feel strongly about the apple’s supremacy over the measly orange, or maybe you’re outraged by the apple’s unearned popularity, what with its shiny, smug skin and pompous, protruding core. Whatever your feelings, elaborate and expand on your initial thoughts, preferably over four or five multi-sentence paragraphs.

3. Don’t write more than 600 words.

If you find yourself filling volumes with your rankings of every apple variety under the sun (from the exotic Honeycrisp to the humble Granny Smith), pump the brakes. If it helps to have a word limit, try to bring it in under 600. A good guide is to see if you can read it out loud in less than three minutes. Any longer, cut it down.

4. Do write in a Word document.

This is an easy way of keeping an eye on your word count. Word will also help you out on the next stage.

Before Submitting:

So, you’ve explained how, come to think of it, apples truly are better than oranges, in a thoughtful response that is no longer than 600 words but also not shorter than 400. Here’s what to do next:

5. Do run a spell check.

Read over your submission and make sure everything is spelled correctly. Then, because we’re only imperfect humans who sometimes can’t remember whether it’s 'definitely' or 'definately', run a spell check via Word. Machines know best.

6. Don’t forget your grammar.

Make sure everything is correctly punctuated, proper nouns (like names or places) have capital letters, and sentences don’t go on forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever with no sign of stopping, not even when you think you’ve reached the very end, like in this very example I’m writing for you right now.

7. Don’t forget, you’re not writing a text message.

U cn do beta.

8. Do keep it clean.

Hey, we’ve all been there: stubbing our toe in church and then cursing loudly; or accidentally, awkwardly swearing in front of our parents, forgetting who they are for one terrible second. Be sure to check that you’ve not accidentally dropped some unintentional f-bombs. If you have, swap them out for these fun alternatives: Shivers! Hogwash! Dagnabbit!

The Final and Most Essential Element:

9. Do be yourself.

Your article doesn’t necessarily have to be from the first person perspective. (For instance: "I personally believe that apples are the fruit of the devil…") However, your answer should come from your heart and reveal your personality. Be fresh, be funny and be fascinating. Only submit entries you’re comfortable seeing published with your name alongside them, but don’t be afraid to speak of personal experiences, and try to impart some advice or message to your readers. Trust us: they want to hear from you.

Header Image: iStock.com/GrapeImages