We are curious about your student’s “Curious Questions”!
We’ve run this contest for over ten years—it’s the contest that began it all—and it’s one of our favorites! It’s a very simple event: you send us some of your student’s most profound, humorous, or thought-provoking questions from Section 1 of The Remarkable Journal of Professor Gunther von Steuben, and we hold a webinar to share the entries and give away prizes.
We aren’t merely curious to read the unusual and funny questions students come up with; we are truly passionate about nurturing your student’s curiosity. The ability to ask good questions and to look at the world with wonder is foundational to strong writing. This event is one way we can help students enjoy being curious!
How Your Student Can Enter
- Any student using Cover Story this school year is eligible to submit up to 5 “Curious Questions.”
- The questions must be submitted by the parent/teacher of the student.
- To be eligible for prizes, the questions must come from the student’s own mind, with no outside input from family, friends, or teachers.
- The questions must be accompanied by the student’s first name, age, and state/province of residence.
Submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. Central Time on October 11, 2023.
Prizes
Some example past and present prizes:
•An autographed copy of one the novels from that series: Runt the Brave, Runt the Hunted, or The Curse of the Seer
•A special prize certificate
•A wooden mouse, hand-carved in honor of Mr. S’s Legends of Tira-Nor series
•A piece of steampunk memorabilia, like a magnifying glass, a compass, or a pair of tricked-out goggles
Live Webinar
The webinar will be 
Wednesday, October 25, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. It will be roughly half an hour long. We’ll laugh over funny questions, muse over puzzling ones, admire deep and insightful musings, and give stuff away!
NOTE: You do NOT have to be present at the webinar to win your prize. But it will be fun, so don’t miss it!
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
10:00 a.m. Central Time
You are not required to sign up in advance for this webinar, and we will send out a reminder email before October 25.
The online “room” will be open a few minutes early—generally within 15 minutes before start time—so that you can connect and be ready before it starts. If it will be your first time watching one of our webinars, we recommend joining early so you have time to install Zoom if you need to (the webinar service we use).
** We will send out a link to watch a recording, if you have to miss it. **
PLEASE NOTE:
- We will only share your student’s submissions using their first name and state/province of residence. No last names will be mentioned.
- Parents/family members: Only students are eligible to receive giveaway items. Again, please make sure that questions credited to students originated with the students themselves without input from the parent or other outside sources.