The words and winners of the WriQ Word Challenge

In November, we launched the WriQ Word Challenge for the very first time. We wanted to help teachers to get students writing a little more each day. And six months, 463 schools and hundreds of thousands of words later, we have our winners. But before we announce them, here’s a quick recap of how the contest went.

The challenge

This year, we were on a mission to improve student writing. Writing is often left behind compared to reading and math, so we wanted to bridge the gap. By writing a little more each day, students can build their confidence in writing.

That’s why we challenged schools across the globe to write the most words they could this school year. And you teachers did just that! Our top 3 schools wrote a total of 593,798 words, using WriQ to track their progress.

Let’s get students writing

We also wanted to build a community of teachers who could help each other. By sharing new ways and ideas to get students writing. Search #WriQWordChallenge to see all our challenge news. As well as our writing prompts and five minute writing activities that you can do with your students.

Check them out to start planning your back to school writing lessons today.

And the winners are…

Our winner, with 259,089 words, is Prepa UPAEP Santiago in Mexico. Improving writing is key for success in the academic challenges the students face at Prepa Santiago, especially for English learners. The school has been able to use the data collected by WriQ, to track student writing. This has helped them with decision-making and reporting on progress. Fernando Duran Marques from the school commented:

"Providing teachers with quality resources is crucial, and WriQ has become an extraordinary ally. WriQ is easy to use, reduces time in marking writing, and offers relevant data for implementing pedagogical strategies. For a bilingual school like Prepa UPAEP Santiago, WriQ has become a fundamental element for assessing and improving writing skills."

As a reward for all their hard work we’ve sent them Chromebook devices to keep their students writing.

Runner up, with 171,121 words was Kate Andrews High School in Alberta, Canada. The school's aim is “Educating students in a caring environment that challenges each to find academic and personal success”. To celebrate their success in the WriQ Word Challenge, we’ve arranged a special writing workshop for their students.

Congratulations to our two winners and a massive well done to everyone who helped get their students writing more this year!