The winners of the 2015 National Punctuation Day® writing contest have been selected!

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

For our homage to the retirement of David Letterman, the king of late-night TV, contestants were asked this question: What are the top 10 ways proper punctuation has affected your life?

Lori Barton, a technical writer from De Pere, WI, and Daniel Eigler-Harding, a senior at Washington-Lee High School, in Arlington, VA, were named the adult and student winners, respectively.

Cameron Ringfield and Faith Miller, students of English literature teacher Chassie James at Hapeville Charter Career Academy High School, in Atlanta, GA, received honorable mention recognition.

Lori Barton wrote:
10. It is, after all, good comma.
9. I laughed harder at Seinfeld’s “Exclamation Point!” episode!
8. My periods are more regular.
7. I now use semi-colons more than once every 10 years, unless there are polyps.
6. I no longer question my pronoun’s motives.
5. Dining—and dashing—is now a legitimate option.
4. Quoting this site is now considered “cool.”
3. It’s OK to capitalize on other people’s mistakes.
2. I live by a new motto: “Everything in life, and in punctuation, happens for a reason.” ~ Auntie Tilde

And the #1 way proper punctuation has affected Lori’s life:
1. Forward or backward, a slash is still a slash.

Daniel Eigler-Harding wrote:
Proper punctuation has affected me because it has allowed me to:
10. Make this list by providing the following:
9. Write my name: Daniel Eigler-Harding
8. Question: “Am supposed to eat that?”
7. Show emotion: “No! Don’t eat that!”
6. Cite my sources: “Poisons are substances which cause disturbances to organisms.” (Wikipedia)
5. Show my train of thought: “The food is poisoned...I am not going to eat that.”
4. Put blame on others: “It was my brother’s idea to add the arsenic.”
3. Connect to complete thoughts: “I didn’t do it; you should punish my brother.”
2. End a thought: “I still want to eat something.”

And the #1 way proper punctuation has affected Daniel’s life:
1. Not eat my father: “I am going to eat, dad.”

Both won a goody bag of punctuation products, a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style, and the accolades from a grateful nation that accompany such a coveted award.

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Great punctuation video
from WABI-TV in Bangor, ME

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Past radio coverage of
National Punctuation Day®

Missouri State Teachers Association: Why Punctuation? Guest column by Jeff Rubin, founder of National Punctuation Day

The Destin Log: A punctilious punctuator’s pet peeves

USA TODAY: Contest: Do you know your punctuation?

San Francisco Chronicle: Punctuation Paragraph Contest Highlights 8th Annual National Punctuation Day, Sept. 24

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Happy National Punctuation Day! Now use it correctly

Baltimore Sun: On George Clooney and apostrophes

Charlotte Observer.com—The Reading Life blog: Punctuation geeks: A contest just for you

North County Times (CA): HUNNEMAN: Hyping the hyphen

Detroit News: Watch the punctuation: Its role in financial documents is crucial

Florida Times-Union: “Punctuation, (is) our; friend!”

Dubuque (IA) Telegraph-Herald: Editor’s notes: TH readers try to punctuate their way to glory

Omaha World Herald: So you know

Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader: Punctuation a thing of the past?

Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin: Prepare your pet peeves. Punctuation Day is fast approaching (first column, September 14)

Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin: I’m Just Sayin’: Today’s the day for perfect punctuation (second column, September 24)

Beverly in Movieland: Punctilious about Punctuation

New Jersey Today: Contest Highlights 8th Annual National Punctuation Day, Sept. 24 Saturday, September 24, 2011

Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review Today is National Punctuation Day

Pinole Patch: Write a Paragraph for National Punctuation Day

El Cerrito Patch: A Day To Show Some Love for Punctuation

Association Media & Publishing: It’s Cool to be a Comma

The Writing Resource: Celebrate National Punctuation Day

Center for Writing Excellence: Call me a nerd, but . . .

American Copy Editors Society: Celebrating the comma, partying with parentheses

Chicago Reader: Chicago’s contribution to National Punctuation Day

Chicago Reader: Cats, Chicagoan claim quotation, comma contest

Ben G’s video salute to NPD: September 24th is National Punctuation Day!

Headbloom Blog: The Apoplectic Apostrophe

Grumbling & Gratitude: “HAPPY” NATIONAL PUNCTUATION ... DAY!

Daily Writing Tips: 10 Websites and Blogs of Punctuation Protectors

Wordnik: Punctuation Rules!

TeleRead: National Punctuation Day is September 24

Punctuation rap song: Dots N Dashes

You Tube: Punctuation songs and videos

Cybrary Man: Cybrary Man’s Educational Web Sites

Arlington Now: Arlington Resident a National Punctuation Day Winner

Arlington Sun-Gazette: Arlingtonian Among Tops in U.S. in Creative Use of Punctuation

Canton Repository: Punctuation contest brings out the best

PUNCTUATION PROGRAM IN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS®

In 2006, National Punctuation Day® founder Jeff Rubin and his wife, Norma, began performing Punctuation Playtime® assemblies in elementary schools. Punctuation Playtime® has been performed nearly 75 times in schools from California to Chicago to New York.

Punctuation Playtime® is a 45-minute program for children in grades K-6. Punctuation Playtime® features games, activities, and storytelling—even a rap song—to reinforce important punctuation lessons in an effort to enhance children’s reading, writing, and communication skills.

On October 21, 22, and 23, 2009, Jeff and Norma brought Punctuation Playtime® to the Westfield Fox Hills Shopping Center in Culver City, CA, to help the center inaugurate a new installation inside the mall called Punctuation Station. Jeff and Norma did three performances each day.

Teachers love the program and how Jeff and Norma interact with the children.

“Your program completely supports our curriculum content,” said Sally Feldman, a teacher at Washington Elementary School, in Point Richmond, CA. “You have wrapped up the best in teaching to bring to our students. I love the fact that you are not afraid to teach young children great skills!”

“That’s a typical comment we get from teachers after a program,” says Jeff, who works during the day as The Newsletter Guy, writing company newsletters for corporate customers out of his office in Pinole, CA.

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Punctuation Playtime® performs
at Los Angeles-area shopping center

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PUNCTUATION PLAYTIME®
TRAINING VIDEO®

Jeff and Norma have also produced a 30-minute instructional DVD that trains teachers how to facilitate Punctuation Playtime® in their schools. They also conduct 90-minute workshops for elementary-school teachers on how to teach punctuation to children in a fun and engaging way.

Visit the NPD website regularly at www.NationalPunctuationDay.com for updates and new photos. And check the Punctuation Playtime® website at www.PunctuationPlaytime.com for information about bringing our program to your school.