Criteria for a winning PoV debate comment
The $200 monthly prize is awarded to the best student comment published on Points of View Debate Blog. Before announcing the winner and publishing the winning comment on the blog, EBSCO Publishing will verify the winner’s name and status as a student, after verification, the winning student author will receive a $200 prize.
The winning comment will not be judged on opinion or popularity, but selected on the merits of a well-fashioned argument, including accuracy in facts, organized presentation, persuasive language, grammar, and spelling. Commenters are reminded to research their submissions and provide thorough analysis and critical thought, and submit commentary of the same quality they would submit to a teacher as a homework assignment.
The Points of View Debate Blog is a service of the Points of View Reference Center, which is a research tool available on a subscription basis for public schools, public libraries, and colleges. Eligibility for the award is restricted to the students whose school or public library is a subscriber to Points of View Reference Center.
The blog is open for comments from all visitors, and users may submit multiple comments. There is no word limit for comments, and users are encouraged to submit commentary relevant to a given topic on the Points of View Debate Blog. Users do not have to compete for the prize. Simple comments expressing agreement or disagreement are encouraged, and no comment is too simple to be posted. The blog is meant to spark debate from all angles, regardless of how much effort is put into the comments. However, commenters who hope to win the $200 prize should submit well-written comments. All comments will be screened by a moderator before appearing.
Example comment:
I think that the Occupy Wall Street movement is good. The middle class is beginning to disappear. Definitely the gap between social classes is growing. The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. The government doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.
Better comment:
The Occupy Wall Street movement is beneficial for the U.S. because it exposes the widening gap between social classes, the shrinking of the middle class, and the inadequacy of government efforts to resolve these problems. An article I read recently said that the middle class is beginning to disappear and the gap between social classes is growing. The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. Making matters worse is that fact that the government doesn't seem to be doing anything about it, or in some cases, is doing the wrong things.
The article I read shows that the middle class has been shrinking a lot. This trend is bad for America. Middle class people are good for America. If the middle class disappears, the U.S. will turn into a nation in which the rich exploit the poor, and the poor have no ability to rise.
The government isn’t doing anything to fix it. There are too many financial regulations that put too many regulations on businesses and force them to lay people off. The government should get rid of these laws. The Occupy Wall Street movement is good!
Winning comment:
The Occupy Wall Street movement is beneficial for the U.S. because it exposes the widening gap between rich and poor, the shrinking of the middle class, and the inadequacy of government efforts to resolve these problems. An article titled “A losing prosperity map” in The Chattanooga Times explains that the middle class is beginning to disappear and the gap between the rich and the poor is growing. Making matters worse is the fact that the government doesn't seem to be doing anything about it, or in some cases, is doing the wrong things.
The article mentioned above shows that the middle class has shrunk by 21% since the 1970s. This trend robs the U.S. economy of what should be its strongest and most innovative group. Middle class households in the U.S. are the backbone of our economy. When the middle class disappears, the U.S. will turn into a nation in which the rich exploit the poor, and the poor have no ability to advance.
Government efforts to ignite the economy and create middle class jobs have failed, or even backfired. For example, the article “Dodd-Frank Bill Will Hurt Economy for Years,” published in Human Events, highlights a financial regulatory law that is actively eliminating good American jobs, and raising the unemployment rate considerably.
The Occupy Wall Street movement is a much-needed citizen’s movement which shines a spotlight on the economic problems facing the U.S. The protesters involved in the movement are attempting to change the failing system, and their efforts should be welcomed by all concerned Americans.