WordSmith is a writing contest for 7th through 12th Grade students in public and private schools throughout the Mid-South. It is hosted each year at the University of Memphis and sponsored by the university English department and the Shelby-Memphis Council of Teachers of English. The tournament tests students’ skills in four modes of nonfiction writing: description, narration, persuasion and exposition. All students receive the same writing assignment in each category and are judged within their grade level.