2022 I Love Cursive Contest Winners

A very big thank you to everyone who entered the I Love Cursive contest this year. We had only one international entry this year, however we had so many worthy candidates it was hard to choose just a few. We are excited to share these winners.  Certificates of Appreciation and writing goodies are being sent via snail mail.

As a studio that values slowing down and savoring life, we believe using our hands to express ourselves is key to well being. Being able to communicate in many forms is becoming a lost art. We believe your handwriting is unique to you and it is something you should love. Being proud of this beautiful art form is easy, it just takes practice. It makes you smarter and you can express yourself faster than printing. The physical act of long hand enables you to really think about what you are wanting to say and express yourself clearer. Thus increasing the odds that you will be understood.

The criteria for our contest by judge, Marie Hornback, are guidelines that make up the core of a solid cursive practice. Legibility and consistency are key. According to Ms. Hornback, “As a teacher of handwriting, and one who teaches others how to teach handwriting, I always stress the importance of consistency in four areas:

• Shape (are the letters formed correctly/legibly?)
• Size (is there a relatively consistent size of capitals and lower case letters?
• Space (is there even spacing between letters in words and words in a sentence that signifies a rhythm of the lettering?)
• Slope  (is there a consistent slope ((angle or vertical)) that creates a graceful pattern of the lettering?)”

As our expert and guide, she looks for specific benchmarks while allowing for stylistic interpretations that do not distract from the gracefulness of cursive writing. Presentation is always important in everything we do, for this exercise we chose her four S’s in these wonderful examples. Congratulations to these winners of the I Love Cursive Contest 2022:

Grade School Category

1^st Place Winner: Angela K

2^nd Place Winner:  Nick

Honorable Mention - Isabel

Adult Category

1^st Place Winner:  Micha T. - Incredibly this entry was done with his non-dominant hand!

2^nd Place Winner: Eric M. - His submission was 5 pages long and he kept consistency on every single page till the end.

Honorable mention - Karra

Here is a link to download your very own cursive exercise sheets to start practicing for next year’s event. Thank you Marie for these handy tools.

You might also want to read our article on tips to improve your handwriting as well.

Remember to love your handwriting, practice a few minutes each day and have fun with the joys of putting pen to paper. I just feels good!

Until next time, keep writing.