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Grow Your Grades 2020-2021 is here!

Lemur14

Volunteer Section Leader

Welcome to GYG 2020-21 :woo:

Click here to make a blog

We're super excited about the new blogging year and bringing some different things to GYG this year :excited:

What is GYG?
Grow your Grades is a blogging competition that has run on TSR for 6 years now. Each year we ask students from all levels to blog about their journey from wherever they start at the start of the academic year to the end, sharing the highs, the lows and everything inbetween. At the end of the year, we read them through and pick an overall winner among other prizes.

So, why should you enter?
Keeping a blog helps keep yourself motivated and accountable for your studying, plus the community spirit in GYG is always so encouraging and motivating for people! In this time when a lot of people haven't done much work since March, it may be difficult to get back into studying, but you can use GYG to challenge yourself and get back into the rhythm of studying :yep:

What's new/coming back this year?
We're bringing back featured blogs, where every few weeks we will have new recommended blogs for anyone to check out :gah:

We're also adding in some new categories for prizes, such as "best titles", see more info below. We'll also be offering more regular rep prizes, for everything from a really great blog post to being supportive in the forum on top of the usual spot prizes. Finally, we're adding directories for different qualification types so you can find other blogs from people at the same level as you.
If you have any other ideas for GYG then please post them, we love to hear them!

I want to start a blog, but I don't know how to make it look pretty.
Firstly, to be in a chance of winning, then your blog doesn't have to be pretty! But if you want it to be so, then look at our guide here on how to work the new TSR editor, this will help you edit your posts to perfection :yep:

Do my blog posts have to be a certain length?
No :nope:

This year in particular, we're aware students may have less time than normal, so we're encouraging you to keep your blogs short and sweet if that means you have more time for the slightly more important stuff like homework and school :wink:

Or even chilling. You may like to consider writing a few sentences each day on the way home from school rather than a bigger post at the weekend, or adding a picture to show your to do list rather than typing it all out again. It's about how you use the words, not the number you use!

Where can I find similar blogs to mine?
This thread has a list of directories, where you can select your study level/qualification and find other blogs in the category. If you haven't already then you can ask for your blog to be added to any relevant directory too.

What should I include in my blog?
Whatever you like! Your subjects is always a good start, and what subject level, but after that you can include anything from your timetable, homework struggles, pictures of your revision (or your snacks). Anything relevant to growing your grades. Remember you don't have to have super long blog posts, and a picture can tell a thousand words (and save you time too!)

What kinds of prizes are there?
We have a consultation on prizes for this year here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6674158
The main prizes are yet to be confirmed for 2021 :iiam:

, but we can confirm we will be having some extra rep prizes for categories such as "Best title", "Best blog from a newbie" and "Best use of photos in a blog". We'll also be running our usual prize for "Best supporter in GYG", and have a special bonus to this of a £10 amazon voucher for the person most supportive before October half term :yay:

As usual, we may run spot prizes, and also may be awarding random prizes throughout the year if we spot someone being super helpful, making great blog posts or for any other reason. We'll announce these on this thread so everyone can see :smile:

When does the competition close?
We'll be closing the competition the day after GCSE results day again this year :yep:

Currently this looks to be 27th August 2021 :eek:

If you have any other questions, then do say below, we're always happy to answer :heart:

(edited 3 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Lemur14

Volunteer Section Leader

Quoting in everyone who posted in GYG last year :woo:

See our launch post above :party:

Also please do vote on the prize for 2020-2021 in this thread here --> https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6674158
Warning, do not open the spoiler

Spoiler

(edited 3 years ago)

Ooooooo

excitingggg
The most stressful bit about making a GYG is trying to make the OP look the best :lol:

Reply 4

Lemur14

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by macy_m

excitingggg
The most stressful bit about making a GYG is trying to make the OP look the best :lol:

Try looking at our top tips guide here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6604738 :gah:

Reply 5

flaurie

Volunteer Team

so excited to see how everyone's blogs do this year!

Reply 6

Sinnoh

Original post by Lemur14

Quoting in everyone who posted in GYG last year :woo:

See our launch post above :party:

Also please do vote on the prize for 2020-2021 in this thread here --> https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6674158
Warning, do not open the spoiler

Spoiler