student essay prize

Essay  COMPETITION

2024 global essay prize, registrations are now open all essayists must register  here  before friday 31 may, 2024.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum.

Entering an essay in our competition can build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford and Princeton, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, former Cambridge philosopher, Dr Jamie Whyte.

The judges will choose their favourite essay from each of seven subject categories - Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject. There is also a separate prize awarded for the best essay in the junior category, for under 15s.

Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?

Q2. Do girls have a (moral) right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?

Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

Q1. Is there such a thing as too much democracy?

Q2. Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible?

Q3. When is compliance complicity?

Q1. What is the optimal global population?  

Q2. Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation?

Q3. Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither?

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?

Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

Q1. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?

Q2. In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state?

Q3. Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime?

Q1. According to a study by researchers at four British universities, for each 15-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by around 35% for a man but decreases by around 58% for a woman. Why?

In the original version of this question we misstated a statistic. This was caused by reproducing an error that appeared in several media summaries of the study. We are grateful to one of our contestants, Xinyi Zhang, who helped us to see (with humility and courtesy) why we should take more care to check our sources. We corrected the text on 4 April. Happily, the correction does not in any way alter the thrust of the question.

Q2. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?

Q3. What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw?

Q1. “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”?

Q2. Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?

Q3. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?

JUNIOR prize

Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?

Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?

Q3. Is there life after death?

Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise? 

Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?

Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies? 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS

Please read the following carefully.

Entry to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition 2024 is open to students from any country.

Registration  

Only candidates who registered before the registration deadline of Friday, 31 May 2024 may enter this year's competition. To register, click here .  

All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm BST on  the submission deadline: Sunday, 30 June 2024 .  Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on that date. (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date.)

Entry is free.

Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). 

The filename of your pdf must be in this format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf; so, for instance, Alexander Popham would submit his answer to question 2 in the Psychology category with the following file name:

Alexander-Popham-Psychology-2.pdf

Essays with filenames which are not in this format will be rejected.

The candidate's name should NOT appear within the document itself. 

Candidates should NOT add footnotes. They may, however, add endnotes and/or a Bibliography that is clearly titled as such.

Each candidate will be required to provide the email address of an academic referee who is familiar with the candidate's written academic work. This should be a school teacher, if possible, or another responsible adult who is not a relation of the candidate. The John Locke Institute will email referees to verify that the essays submitted are indeed the original work of the candidates.

Submissions may be made as soon as registration opens in April. We recommend that you submit your essay well in advance of th e deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.

Acceptance of your essay depends on your granting us permission to use your data for the purposes of receiving and processing your entry as well as communicating with you about the Awards Ceremony Dinner, the academic conference, and other events and programmes of the John Locke Institute and its associated entities.  

Late entries

If for any reason you miss the 30 June deadline you will have an opportunity to make a late entry, under two conditions:

a) A late entry fee of 20.00 USD must be paid by credit card within twenty-four hours of the original deadline; and

b) Your essay must be submitted  before 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.

To pay for late entry, a registrant need only log into his or her account, select the relevant option and provide the requested payment information.

Our grading system is proprietary. Essayists may be asked to discuss their entry with a member of the John Locke Institute’s faculty. We use various means to identify plagiarism, contract cheating, the use of AI and other forms of fraud . Our determinations in all such matters are final.

Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind. Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful .

Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible.

The writers of the best essays will receive a commendation and be shortlisted for a prize. Writers of shortlisted essays will be notified by 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 31 July. They will also be invited to London for an invitation-only academic conference and awards dinner in September, where the prize-winners will be announced. Unlike the competition itself, the academic conference and awards dinner are not free. Please be aware that n obody is required to attend either the academic conference or the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London.

All short-listed candidates, including prize-winners, will be able to download eCertificates that acknowledge their achievement. If you win First, Second or Third Prize, and you travel to London for the ceremony, you will receive a signed certificate. 

There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute's website. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place in London, at which winners and runners-up will be able to meet some of the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute. Family, friends, and teachers are also welcome.

The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship, which comes with a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or visiting scholars programmes. 

The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

R egistration opens: 1 April, 2024.

Registration deadline: 31 May, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.)

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2024.

Late entry deadline: 10 July, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by 1 July.)

Notification of short-listed essayists: 31 July, 2024.

Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024.

Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024.

Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected] . Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. In particular, regrettably, we are unable to respond to questions whose answers can be found on our website.

If you would like to receive helpful tips  from our examiners about what makes for a winning essay or reminders of upcoming key dates for the 2024  essay competition, please provide your email here to be added to our contact list. .

Thanks for subscribing!

The John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize is acknowledged as the world's most prestigious essay competition. 

We welcome tens of thousands of submissions from ambitious students in more than 150 countries, and our examiners - including distinguished philosophers, political scientists, economists, historians, psychologists, theologians, and legal scholars - read and carefully assess every entry. 

I encourage you to register for this competition, not only for the hope of winning a prize or commendation, and not only for the chance to join the very best contestants at our academic conference and gala ceremony in London, but equally for the opportunity to engage in the serious scholarly enterprise of researching, reflecting on, writing about, and editing an answer to one of the important and provocative questions in this year's Global Essay Prize. 

We believe that the skills you will acquire in the process will make you a better thinker and a more effective advocate for the ideas that matter most to you.

I hope to see you in September!

Best wishes,

Jamie Whyte, Ph.D. (C ANTAB ) 

Chairman of Examiners

Q. I missed the registration deadline. May I still register or submit an essay?

A. No. Only candidates who registered before 31 May will be able to submit an essay. 

Q. Are footnote s, endnotes, a bibliography or references counted towards the word limit?

A. No. Only the body of the essay is counted. 

Q. Are in-text citations counted towards the word limit? ​

A. If you are using an in-text based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

Q. Is it necessary to include foo tnotes or endnotes in an essay? ​

A. You  may not  include footnotes, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. You should give your sources of any factual claims you make, and you should ackn owledge any other authors on whom you rely.​

Q. I am interested in a question that seems ambiguous. How should I interpret it?

A. You may interpret a question as you deem appropriate, clarifying your interpretation if necessary. Having done so, you must answer the question as directly as possible.

Q. How strict are  the age eligibility criteria?

A. Only students whose nineteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. In the case of the Junior category, only students whose fifteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. 

Q. May I submit more than one essay?

A. Yes, you may submit as many essays as you please in any or all categories.

Q. If I am eligible to compete in the Junior category, may I also (or instead) compete in another category?

A. Yes, you may.

Q. May I team up with someone else to write an essay?  

A. No. Each submitted essay must be entirely the work of a single individual.

Q. May I use AI, such as ChatGPT or the like, in writing my essay?

A. All essays will be checked for the use of AI. If we find that any content is generated by AI, your essay will be disqualified. We will also ask you, upon submission of your essay, whether you used AI for  any  purpose related to the writing of your essay, and if so, you will be required to provide details. In that case, if, in our judgement, you have not provided full and accurate details of your use of AI, your essay will be disqualified. 

Since any use of AI (that does not result in disqualification) can only negatively affect our assessment of your work relative to that of work that is done without using AI, your safest course of action is simply not to use it at all. If, however, you choose to use it for any purpose, we reserve the right to make relevant judgements on a case-by-case basis and we will not enter into any correspondence. 

Q. May I have someone else edit, or otherwise help me with, my essay?

A. You may of course discuss your essay with others, and it is perfectly acceptable for them to offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses in your writing or content, leaving you to address them.

However, no part of your essay may be written by anyone else. This means that you must edit your own work and that while a proofreader may point out errors, you as the essayist must be the one to correct them. 

Q. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win a prize? ​

A. Nobody is required to attend the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London. But if we invite you to London it is because your essay was good enough - in the opinion of the First Round judges - to be at least a contender for First, Second or Third Prize. Normally the Second Round judges will agree that the short-listed essays are worth at least a commendation.

Q. Is there an entry fee?

A. No. There is no charge to enter our global essay competition unless you submit your essay after the normal deadline, in which case there is a fee of 20.00 USD .

Q. Can I receive a certificate for my participation in your essay competition if I wasn't shortlisted? 

A. No. Certificates are awarded only for shortlisted essays. Short-listed contestants who attend the award ceremony in London will receive a paper certificate. If you cannot travel to London, you will be able to download your eCertificate.

Q. Can I receive feedba ck on my essay? 

A. We would love to be able to give individual feedback on essays but, unfortunately, we receive too many entries to be able to comment on particular essays.

Q. The deadline for publishing the names of short-listed essayists has passed but I did not receive an email to tell me whether I was short-listed.

A. Log into your account and check "Shortlist Status" for (each of) your essay(s).

Q. Why isn't the awards ceremony in Oxford this year?

A. Last year, many shortlisted finalists who applied to join our invitation-only academic conference missed the opportunity because of capacity constraints at Oxford's largest venues. This year, the conference will be held in central London and the gala awards dinner will take place in an iconic London ballroom. 

TECHNICAL FAQ s

Q. The system will not accept my essay. I have checked the filename and it has the correct format. What should I do?  

A. You have almost certainly added a space before or after one of your names in your profile. Edit it accordingly and try to submit again.

Q. The profile page shows my birth date to be wrong by a day, even after I edit it. What should I do?

A. Ignore it. The date that you typed has been correctly input to our database. ​ ​

Q. How can I be sure that my registration for the essay competition was successful? Will I receive a confirmation email?

A. You will not receive a confirmation email. Rather, you can at any time log in to the account that you created and see that your registration details are present and correct.

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR SUBMISSION

If you are unable to submit your essay to the John Locke Institute’s global essay competition, your problem is almost certainly one of the following.

If so, please proceed as indicated.

1) PROBLEM: I receive the ‘registrations are now closed’ message when I enter my email and verification code. SOLUTION. You did not register for the essay competition and create your account. If you think you did, you probably only provided us with your email to receive updates from us about the competition or otherwise. You may not enter the competition this year.

2) PROBLEM I do not receive a login code after I enter my email to enter my account. SOLUTION. Enter your email address again, checking that you do so correctly. If this fails, restart your browser using an incognito window; clear your cache, and try again. Wait for a few minutes for the code. If this still fails, restart your machine and try one more time. If this still fails, send an email to [email protected] with “No verification code – [your name]” in the subject line.

SUBMITTING AN ESSAY

3) PROBLEM: The filename of my essay is in the correct format but it is rejected. SOLUTION: Use “Edit Profile” to check that you did not add a space before or after either of your names. If you did, delete it. Whether you did or did not, try again to submit your essay. If submission fails again, email [email protected] with “Filename format – [your name]” in the subject line.

4) PROBLEM: When trying to view my submitted essay, a .txt file is downloaded – not the .pdf file that I submitted. SOLUTION: Delete the essay. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “File extension problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

5) PROBLEM: When I try to submit, the submission form just reloads without giving me an error message. SOLUTION. Log out of your account. Open a new browser; clear the cache; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Submission form problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

6) PROBLEM: I receive an “Unexpected Error” when trying to submit. SOLUTION. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If this resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Unexpected error – [your name]” in thesubject line. Your email must tell us e xactly where in the submission process you received this error.

7) PROBLEM: I have a problem with submitting and it is not addressed above on this list. SOLUTION: Restart your machine. Clear your browser’s cache. Try to submit again. If this fails, email [email protected] with “Unlisted problem – [your name]” in the subject line. Your email must tell us exactly the nature of your problem with relevant screen caps.

READ THIS BEFORE YOU EMAIL US.

Do not email us before you have tried the specified solutions to your problem.

Do not email us more than once about a single problem. We will respond to your email within 72 hours. Only if you have not heard from us in that time may you contact us again to ask for an update.

If you email us regarding a problem, you must include relevant screen-shots and information on both your operating system and your browser. You must also declare that you have tried the solutions presented above and had a good connection to the internet when you did so.

If you have tried the relevant solution to your problem outlined above, have emailed us, and are still unable to submit before the 30 June deadline on account of any fault of the John Locke Institute or our systems, please do not worry: we will have a way to accept your essay in that case. However, if there is no fault on our side, we will not accept your essay if it is not submitted on time – whatever your reason: we will not make exceptions for IT issues for which we are not responsible.

We reserve the right to disqualify the entries of essayists who do not follow all provided instructions, including those concerning technical matters.

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David McCullough Essay Prizes

Programs & events, student opportunities.

David McCullough at Trinity School in Manhattan, October 15, 2019

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is now accepting submissions for the 2024 David McCullough Essay Prizes. The contest has been recently overhauled, and will recognize fourteen outstanding high school student research and interpretive essays with cash prizes of up to $5,000. This contest is named in memory of David McCullough (1933–2022)—a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Gilder Lehrman Life Trustee—and honors his career telling America’s stories and examining its histories. Learn more about his life and legacy here .

High school students attending schools in our Affiliate School Program are eligible and encouraged to participate. (Email [email protected] if you are not sure whether your school is an Affiliate School.) They are invited to submit an original essay, written independently or for a 2023–2024 class, that has been revised, expanded, and adapted to conform with the new McCullough Prize specifications. The two essay categories are as follows:

Research Essay: Students are invited to submit a research essay incorporating primary and secondary sources on a topic in American history from 1491 to 2001.

Interpretive Essay: Students are invited to submit an interpretive essay focusing on close reading and analysis of one primary source from American history, 1491 to 2001, in the Gilder Lehrman Collection of more than 85,000 historical documents.

More requirements for both essay categories can be found in these updated David McCullough Essay Prizes 2024 Rubrics .

All participants will receive a certificate of participation suitable for framing. Prize winners in each of our two categories—research essays and a new interpretive essay category—will receive cash awards as follows:

• 1st Prize: $5,000 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school)
• 2nd Prize: $1,500 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school)
• Five 3rd Prizes: $500 each

To be considered for the David McCullough Essay Prizes, students, or their teachers or parents, can submit the student entry by 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, June 28, 2024 . A panel of Gilder Lehrman master teachers will choose the pool of finalists, from which a jury of eminent historians will choose the winners. Essays will be evaluated for their historical rigor, the clarity and correctness of their style, their use of evidence, and their qualities of empathy and imagination. Winners will be notified and announced no later than Friday, September 13, 2024.

Submit Essay

General Requirements

Font and Page Style: Papers should be submitted in 12-point, Times New Roman font with one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides. Essays should be free of teacher commentary or other notes.

Organization: Top essays have an introduction, body, and conclusion and a clearly stated, well-developed thesis statement with supportive historical evidence.

Essay Topics: Essays can be on any topic related to American history from 1491 to 2001. Essays in the interpretative category must feature a primary source (letter, broadside, art, political cartoon, speech, etc.) from the Gilder Lehrman Collection .

Past Winners

Read the winning essays submitted by previous years’ contestants.

2023 Contest Winners 2022 Contest Winners 2021 Contest Winners 2020 Contest Winners

Follow in the steps of these Past Winners and submit your entry today!

Stay up to date, and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.

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Best Essay Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 54 contests that match your search.

Indignor Play House Annual Short Story Competition

Indignor House Publishing

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Indignor House Publishing is proud to announce that our annual writing competition (INDIGNOR PLAYHOUSE Short Story Annual Competition) is officially open with expected publication in the fall of 2024. Up to 25 submissions will be accepted for inclusion in the annual anthology.

Additional prizes:

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Bacopa Literary Review’s 2024 contest is open from March 4 through April 4, with $200 Prize and $100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, Free Verse Poetry, Formal Poetry, and Visual Poetry.

📅 Deadline: May 02, 2024 (Expired)

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

Can you write a story using 100 words or less? Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story. The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.

2nd: writing coach package

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

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The Fountain Essay Contest

Fountain Magazine

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

“Home” holds a special place in our lives. Our earliest memories form inside its walls; we utter our first words and take our first steps there. Does everyone feel the same about home? Is it where you were born or where you earn your bread? Is home a physical place? In a world that moves faster than ever and is confined to small screens, how do perceptions about "home" change? Where is home for people who are forced to leave their homes? Where is your home?

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

Lazuli Literary Group

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, and Script Writing

We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.

Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"

📅 Deadline: March 24, 2024 (Expired)

Climate Change Writing Competition

Write the World

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

This month, dear writers, ahead of COP27, help us raise the voices of young people in this urgent fight. In a piece of personal narrative, tell the world’s leaders gathering in how climate change impacts you. How has this crisis changed your environment, your community, your sense of the future? Storytelling, after all, plays a critical role in helping us grasp the emergency through which we are all living, igniting empathy in readers and listeners—itself a precursor to action.

Runner-up: $50

📅 Deadline: October 18, 2022 (Expired)

Anthology Travel Writing Competition 2024

Anthology Magazine

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

The Anthology Travel Writing Competition is open to original and previously unpublished travel articles in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. We are looking for an engaging article that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture. Max 1000 words.

💰 Entry fee: $16

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2024

Military Anthology: Partnerships, the Untold Story

Armed Services Arts Partnership

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Partners are an integral aspect of military life, at home and afar, during deployment and after homecoming. Partnerships drive military action and extend beyond being a battle buddy, wingman, or crew member. Some are planned while others arise entirely unexpectedly. Spouses, family, old or new friends, community, faith leaders, and medical specialists all support the military community. Despite their importance, the stories of these partnerships often go untold. This anthology aims to correct that: We will highlight the nuances, surprises, joy, sorrow, heroism, tears, healing power, and ache of partnerships. We invite you to submit the story about partnerships from your journey, so we can help tell it.

$500 Editors' Choice award

$250 for each genre category (prose, poetry, visual art)

WOW! Women On Writing Quarterly Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

WOW! Women On Writing

Genres: Non-fiction and Essay

Seeking creative nonfiction essays on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style--from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hybrid, and more! The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Electronic submissions via e-mail only; reprints/previously published okay; simultaneous submissions okay; multiple submissions are okay as long as they are submitted in their own individual e-mail. Open internationally.

2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards

💰 Entry fee: $12

The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

The Letter Review

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Crime, Humor, and Science Writing

2-4 Winners are published. We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Seeking Nonfiction 0-5000 words. Judges’ feedback available. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no theme or genre restrictions. Judged blind. All entries considered for publication + submission to Pushcart.

Publication by The Letter Review

💰 Entry fee: $2

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024 (Expired)

National Essay Contest

U.S. Institute of Peace

Genres: Essay

This year, AFSA celebrates the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service. Over the last century, our diplomats and development professionals have been involved in groundbreaking events in history – decisions on war and peace, supporting human rights and freedom, creating joint prosperity, reacting to natural disasters and pandemics and much more. As AFSA looks back on this century-long history, we invite you to join us in also looking ahead to the future. This year students are asked to explore how diplomats can continue to evolve their craft to meet the needs of an ever-changing world that brings fresh challenges and opportunities to the global community and America’s place in it.

Runner-up: $1,250

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)

Journalism Competition 2024

What are the most important issues taking place close to home? Perhaps a rare bird sighting near your town? Or a band of young people in your province fighting for access to higher education? This month, immerse yourself in a newsworthy event inside the borders of your own country, and invite us there through your written reporting.

Best entry: $100

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

📅 Deadline: July 22, 2024

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award

Trio House Press

We seek un-agented full-length creative nonfiction manuscripts including memoir, essay collections, etc. 50,000 - 80,000 words.

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2024 (Expired)

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

Ayn Rand Institute

Atlas Shrugged is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder—and rebirth—of man’s spirit. We seek exceptional essays of up to 1600 words that analyze its themes and ideas. High school to graduate students worldwide are invited to participate.

📅 Deadline: June 14, 2024

Artificial Intelligence Competition

New Beginnings

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

There is no topic relating to technology that brings more discussion than artificial intelligence. Some people think it does wonders. Others see it as trouble. Let us know your opinion about AI in this competition. Include experiences you have had with AI. 300-word limit. Winners will be selected January 1, 2024. Open to anyone, anywhere.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)

Young Sports Journalist 2024

The Young Sports Journalist Competition, 2024, seeks well-argued articles from aspiring journalists aged 14-21. Winning entries will be published online and printed in the Summer Issue of Pitch. Critiqued by our panel of accomplished judges, winners will also receive a £50 cash prize and offered work experience here at PITCH HQ. The competition runs from 7 February 2024 to 5 April 2024. And winners will be announced in May.

Publication in magazine and online

📅 Deadline: April 05, 2024 (Expired)

Work-In-Progress (WIP) Contest

Unleash Press

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult

We aim to assist writers in the completion of an important literary project and vision. The Unleash WIP Award offers writers support in the amount of $500 to supplement costs to aid in the completion of a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Writers will also receive editorial feedback, coaching meetings, and an excerpt/interview feature in Unleash Lit.

Coaching, interview, and editorial support

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024

International Essay Competition 2023/24

Avernus Education

Welcome to our prestigious International Essay Competition. At Avernus Education, we are thrilled to provide a platform for young minds to showcase their prowess in Medicine, Engineering, Law, Economics, Psychology, History and Politics. These varied subject categories underscore the importance of interdisciplinary study, a crucial foundation for future leaders in our increasingly interconnected world. Winners receive an exclusive Avernus Education Scholarship worth over £5000 - granting them free entrance to our exclusive summer camp at Oxford University! Outstanding Runners Up receive 5 hours worth of Credits for Avernus Education courses, conferences and tutoring services.

100% Scholarship Award to our Oxford University Summer Programme (worth £5995)

Partial scholarship

📅 Deadline: February 19, 2024 (Expired)

swamp pink Prizes

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

From January 1st to January 31st, submit short stories and essays of up to 25 pages or a set of 1-3 poems. Winners in each genre will receive $2,000 and publication.

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

High School Academic Research Competition

Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal

The High School Academic Research Competition is where talented students from around the world compete to publish high-quality research on any topic. SARC challenges students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, immerse themselves in the research process, and hone their writing skills for success.

Indigo Research Intensive Summer Program

📅 Deadline: April 17, 2024 (Expired)

Hispanic Culture Review Contest 2022-2023

Hispanic Culture Review

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

As the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano once said, "the best that the world has is in the many worlds that the world contains." Therefore, this year we invite you to reflect on the following questions: How do you or your community celebrate these connections? How do you value those experiences with those people who leave a mark on your life? 1 work will be awarded in each category: 1) photography & visual arts, 2) poetry, and 3) narrative/essay/academic investigation.

$100 for photography, poetry, and essay winners

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: February 01, 2023 (Expired)

Annual Student Essay Contest

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

For this year’s Essay Contest, we are asking students to think about why the story of the Oklahoma City bombing is important today.

📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)

Irene Adler Prize

Lucas Ackroyd

I’ve traveled the world from Sweden to South Africa, from the Golden Globes to the Olympic women’s hockey finals. I’ve photographed a mother polar bear and her cubs and profiled stars like ABBA, Jennifer Garner and Katarina Witt. And I couldn’t have done it without women. I’ve been very fortunate, and it’s time for me to give back. With the Irene Adler Prize, I’m awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a woman pursuing a degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution.

2x honorable mentions: $250

📅 Deadline: May 30, 2024

Literary and Photographic Contest 2023-2024

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Poetry

As we move forward we carry our culture wherever we go. It keeps us alive. This is why we propose the theme to be “¡Hacia delante!”. A phrase that means to move forward. This year we ask that you think about the following questions: What keeps you moving forward? What do you carry with you going into the future? How do you celebrate your successes, your dreams, and your culture?

Publication in magazine

📅 Deadline: February 07, 2024 (Expired)

Berggruen Prize Essay Competition

Berggruen Institute

The Berggruen Prize Essay Competition, in the amount of $25,000 USD for the English and Chinese language category respectively, is given annually to stimulate new thinking and innovative concepts while embracing cross-cultural perspectives across fields, disciplines, and geographies. Inspired by the pivotal role essays have played in shaping thought and inquiry, we are inviting essays that follow in the tradition of renowned thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Michel de Montaigne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Publication in Noema Magazine

Great American Think-Off

New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

The Great American Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas that connect to your life at the gut level. The Cultural Center, located in the rural farm and manufacturing town of New York Mills, sponsors this annual philosophy contest.

Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest

Jane Austen Society of North America

Genres: Children's and Essay

JASNA conducts an annual student Essay Contest to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen's works in new generations of readers. Students world-wide are invited to compete for scholarship awards in three divisions: high school, college, and graduate school.

$1,000 scholarship

Two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s Annual General Meeting

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2022 (Expired)

Environmental Writing 2024

The writer and activist Bill McKibben describes Environmental Writing as "the collision between people and the rest of the world." This month, peer closely at that intersection: How do humans interact with their environment? Given your inheritance of this earth, the world needs your voices now more than ever.

📅 Deadline: April 22, 2024 (Expired)

The Hudson Prize

Black Lawrence Press

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Hudson Prize for an unpublished collection of poems or prose. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers.

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

Personal Essay Competition 2024

Genres: Essay and Memoir

We want to hear about an experience in your life, rife with characters and description and conflict and scene… but we also want to hear how you make sense of this experience, how it sits with you, and why it has surfaced as writing. Open a window into your life and invite your readers to enter.

📅 Deadline: June 24, 2024

African Diaspora Awards 2024

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

Up to $1000 in cash prizes for the African Diaspora Award 2024. African-themed prose and poetry wanted. Top finalists are published in Kinsman Quarterly’s magazine and the anthology, “Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora.”

Publication in anthology, "Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora" and print and digital magazine

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast. This years entries will be judged by Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House, Her Body and Other Parties).

$1000 + free 10 week course with Gotham Writers

Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award

Killer Nashville

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, and Thriller

The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award is committed to discovering new writers, as well as superlative books by established authors and, upon discovery, sharing those writers and their works with new readers. There are a large number of both fiction and non-fiction categories you can enter.

💰 Entry fee: $79

📅 Deadline: June 15, 2024

The Letter Review Prize for Books

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Letter Review Prize for Books is open to writers from anywhere in the world. Seeking most unpublished (we accept some self/indie published) novels, novellas, story collections, nonfiction, poetry etc. 20 entries are longlisted.

$1000 USD shared by 3 winners

Rigel 2024: $500 for Prose, Poetry, Art, or Graphic Novel

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

Literary or genre works accepted. Winner receives $500 plus publication, while runners-up and finalists are offered publication. No restrictions on theme or category. Closes: February 29. Entry fee: $12.50. Enter as many times as you like through Submittable or Duotrope

$500 + publication

Runners-up and finalists are offered publication

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction

How to Write a Novel

Understanding Point of View

Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love

Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character

Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine

On Editing:

Story Editing for Authors

How to Self-Edit Like a Pro

Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites

How to Write a Short Story in 7 Steps

Reedsy's guide to novel writing

Literary Devices and Terms — 35+ Definitions With Examples

10 Essential Fiction Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft

How to Write Dialogue: 8 Simple Rules and Exercises

8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character

Bonus resources

200+ Short Story Ideas

600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You

100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors

Story Title Generator

Pen Name Generator

Character Name Generator

After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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The Best Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024

Help your students take their writing to the next level.

When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.

1.  The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—The Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options  before you decide which one is best for your students.

How To Enter

Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.

2.  YoungArts National Arts Competition

This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.

YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).

3. National Youth Foundation Programs

Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.

The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.

4.  American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest

If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, DC.

Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.

5.  John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes.

Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.

6. Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .

The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.

7. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University. Students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )

Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.

8. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.

Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.

9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest

This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !

Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.

10.  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.

Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.

11.  The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a  Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .

Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.

12. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.

Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.

13. Rattle Young Poets Anthology

Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.

Teachers may choose five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.

14. The Black River Chapbook Competition

This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.

There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.

15. YouthPlays New Voices

For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.

Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. Entries open each year in January.

16. The Ocean Awareness Contest

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.

Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.

17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest

Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .

Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .

18. NCTE Student Writing Awards

The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.

Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.

19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest

Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.

Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.

20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose

The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.

Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.

21. National PTA Reflections Awards

The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.

This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.

22. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.

Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.

23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.

Apply online by October 31.

Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.

If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!

Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..

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25 Best Writing Competitions for High School Students – 2024

April 12, 2024

Over the past several years, the number of college applicants has been steadily rising. [i] As college admissions become more competitive, there are many steps a student can take to achieve high school success and become an outstanding candidate for college admissions: earning high SAT scores, securing strong letters of recommendation , and participating in various competitions will all boost your admissions prospects. [ii] In particular, writing competitions for high school students are a popular way to win scholarships and prize money, receive feedback on writing, build a portfolio of public work, and add to college application credentials!

Below, we’ve selected twenty-five writing competitions for high school students and sorted them by three general topics: 1) language, literature and arts, 2) STEM, environment and sustainability, and 3) politics, history and philosophy. It’s never too soon to begin thinking about your future college prospects, and even if you are a freshman, many of these writing competitions for high schoolers will be open to you! [iii]

Writing Competitions for High School Students in Language, Literature, and Arts

1) adroit prizes for poetry and prose.

This prestigious creative writing award offers high school students the opportunity to showcase their work in Adroit Journal . Judges are acclaimed writers in their respective genres.

• Eligibility: All high school students (including international students) are eligible to apply. Poetry contestants may submit up to five poems. Prose contestants may submit up to three pieces of fiction or nonfiction writing (for a combined total of 3,500 words – excerpts accepted).
• Prize: Winners will receive $200 and their writing will be published in Adroit Journal . All submitted entries will be considered for publication!
• Deadline: May 1st (specific deadline may vary by year).

2)  Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

This unique essay competition allows writers the chance to explore and respond to Ayn Rand’s fascinating and polemic 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged . Specific essay topics are posted every three months; prizes are granted seasonally with a grand prize winner announced every year.

• Prize: Annual grand prize is $25,000.
• Deadline: Deadlines occur every season, for each seasonal prompt.
• Eligibility: Essays must be written in English and be 800-1,600 words in length.

Writing Competitions for High School Students (Continued)

3)  the bennington young writers awards.

Through Bennington College, this high school writing competition offers three prizes in three different genre categories: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Winners and finalists who decide to attend Bennington College will ultimately receive a substantial scholarship prize.

• Eligibility: U.S. and international students in grades 9 through 12 may apply.
• Prize: First place winners receive $1,000; second place wins $500; third place winners receive $250. YWA winners who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington receive a $15,000 scholarship per year (for a total of $60,000). YWA finalists who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship per year (for a total of $40,000).
• Deadline: The competition runs annually from September 1st to November 1st.

4)  Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Student Essay Contest

Do you love Jane Austen? If so, this is the high school writing competition for you! With the JASNA Student Essay Contest, high school students have the opportunity to write a six to eight-page essay about Jane Austen’s works, focused on a specific, designated topic for the competition year.

• Eligibility: Any high school student (homeschooled students also eligible) enrolled during the contest year may submit an essay.
• Prize: First place winner receives a $1,000 scholarship and two nights’ lodging for the upcoming annual JASNA meeting. Second place wins a $500 scholarship and third place wins a $250 scholarship. All winners will additionally receive a year membership in JASNA, the online publication of their article, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.
• Deadline: Submission accepted from February-June 1st (specific dates may vary by year).

5)  The Kennedy Center VSA Playwright Discovery Program

Young aspiring writers with disabilities are encouraged to apply to this unique program. Students are asked to submit a ten-minute play script that explores any topic, including the student’s own disability experience.

• Eligibility: U.S. and international high school students with disabilities ages 14-19 may apply.
• Prize: Multiple winners will receive exclusive access to professional development and networking opportunities at The Kennedy Center.
• Deadline: January (specific deadline date may vary by year).

6)  Leonard M. Milburg ’53 High School Poetry Prize

Through Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts, this prestigious writing competition for high school students recognizes outstanding poetry writing and is judged by creative writing faculty at Princeton University.

• Eligibility: U.S. or international students in the eleventh grade may apply. Applicants may submit up to three poems.
• Prize: First place wins $1,500; second place wins $750; third place wins $500.
• Deadline: November (specific deadline date may vary by year).

7)  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

Nancy Thorp was a student at Hollins University who showed great promise as a poet. After her death, her family established this scholarship to support budding young poets.

• Eligibility: Female high school sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• Prize: First place wins $350 and publication in Cargoes literary magazine, along with a $5,000 renewable scholarship (up to $20,000 over four years) if the student enrolls in Hollins University, and free tuition and housing for Hollins University’s summer creative writing program (grades 9-12). Second place wins publication in Cargoes, along with a $1,000 renewable scholarship ($4,000 over four years) if the student enrolls at Hollins and $500 to apply toward Hollins’ summer creative writing program.
• Deadline: October (specific deadline date may vary by year).

8)  National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing

Students may be nominated by their English teachers to win this prestigious writing award. Winners “exhibit the power to inform and move an audience through language” and prompts and genres may vary by competition year.

• Prize: A certificate will be awarded to students who are judged to have exceptional writing skills. Student names will be displayed on the NCTE website.
• Eligibility: U.S. high school sophomores and juniors are eligible for nomination.
• Deadline: February (specific dates may vary by year). Contest prompts released in August.

9)  National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

At Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, numerous opportunities for scholarships and awards await those who submit writing in various genres: literary criticism, drama, poetry, and fiction. In all, there are 28 generic categories of art and writing to choose from!

• Eligibility: Teens in grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up) may apply.
• Prize: Various types of recognition and scholarships (up to $12,500) are offered for these award winners.
• Deadline: Scholastic Awards opens for entries in September; deadlines range from December to January.

10)  National Society of High School Scholars Creative Writing Scholarship

In this creative writing competition for high schoolers, students have the opportunity to submit a piece poetry or fiction (or both – one in each category!) for the opportunity to be published on the NSHSS website and win a monetary prize.

• Eligibility: Rising high school students graduating in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 may apply.
• Prize: There will be three $2,000 awards for the fiction category and three $2,000 awards for the poetry category.
• Deadline: Submissions Accepted from May to October (specific dates may vary by year).

11)  National Writing Award: The Humanities and a Freer Tomorrow

This writing competition allows high school students the chance to be nominated by a teacher for a piece of writing in response to Ruth J. Simmons’ “Facing History to Find a Better Future.” Specific prompt topics may vary by year.

• Eligibility: Nominating teachers can submit work from 11th and 12th graders in one category (fiction, poetry, prose, or essay).
• Prize: One top prize of $1,000. Four additional prizes of $500 each. Winners will have the opportunity to have their work published by NCTE.
• Deadline: Applications are open September to October (specific dates may vary by year).

12)  New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award

Although this prestigious award isn’t exclusively for high schoolers (anyone younger than 35 may submit a work of fiction), if you’ve written a collection of short stories or even a novel, you should certainly consider applying!

• Eligibility: Any writer below the age of 35 may submit a novel or collection of short stories to participate in this competition.
• Prize: $10,000 award.
• Deadline: September (specific date may vary by year).

13)  Princeton University Ten-Minute Play Contest

This writing competition for high school students awards three annual top prizes for the best ten-minute play. Play submissions are judged each year by an acclaimed guest playwright.

• Eligibility: U.S. or international students in the eleventh grade may apply. Students may submit one play entry; entries must be ten pages or less. Plays must be written in English.
• Prize: First place prize is $500; second place is $250; third place is $100.
• Deadline: Varies by year. However, students are recommended to submit before the deadline date – the submission portal will close when a maximum of 250 applicants have applied.

14)  YouthPLAYS New Voices One-Act Competition for Young Playwrights

In this exciting writing competition, students have the chance to submit an original play script for a play of around 10-40 minutes in length. An excellent competition choice for any student considering a future in the theatre!

• Eligibility: Prospective authors ages 19 and under may submit a script for consideration in the competition. See specific writing guidelines here .
• Prize: First prize wins $250 and publication with YouthPLAYS; second prize wins $100.
• Deadline: Submissions run from January 1st to May 1st.

STEM, Environment, and Sustainability High School Writing Competitions

15)  engineergirl essay contest.

This wonderful essay contest invites students to explore topics related to engineering and science. Each year a new, specific prompt will be chosen for young writers who wish to compete.

• Eligibility: High school students are eligible to apply. Previous winners and close family members of employees of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine are not eligible.
• Prize: First place winners receive $1,000; second place receives $750; third place receives $500.
• Deadline: Competition opens in September and submissions are due February 1st of the following year. Winners are announced in the summer.

16)  Ocean Awareness Contest

The Ocean Awareness Contest is an opportunity for students to create written and artistic projects that explore sustainability, environmentalism, and positive change. High school freshmen (up to age 14) may apply to the Junior Division. Students ages 15-18 may enter the Senior Division.

• Eligibility: Students ages 11-18 may apply (international students included).
• Prize: Monetary prizes ranging from $100-$1000 will be awarded each year. Additionally, $500 will be awarded to ten students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Latino via the We All Rise Prize program.
• Deadline: June 10, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

17)  Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder / Sense of Wild Contest

If you are interested in issues of sustainability, environment, biology and the natural world, this is one of the high school writing competitions that is just for you! Essay prompts explore the natural world and our place within it and may include poetry, essays, and photography.

• Eligibility: Students must pair with an adult from a different generation (e.g. parent, grandparent or teacher – contestants need not be related). Entries must be submitted as a team.
• Prize: Winners will receive a certificate from RCLA; their first names, ages, and entry titles will be posted on the RCLA website.
• Deadline: November 16th, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

18)  River of Words Competition

This writing competition for high school students is another top choice for those thinking of pursuing majors or careers in biology, environment, and sustainability; this specific contest hopes to promote positive education in sustainability by “promoting environmental literacy through the arts and cultural exchange.”

• Eligibility: Any U.S. or international student from kindergarten through 12th grade may apply.
• Prize: Winners will be published in the River of Words
• Deadline: January (specific deadline may vary by year).

Writing Competitions for High School Students in Politics, History and Philosophy

19)  american foreign service association essay contest.

With this writing competition for high school students, entrants may submit essays ranging from 1,000-1,500 words about diplomacy, history, and international politics (specific prompts vary by year).

• Eligibility: Students in grades nine through twelve may apply. Students whose parents are in the Foreign Service Association are not eligible.
• Prize: The first-place winner will receive $2,500, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the winner and the winner’s parents, and an all-expense paid voyage via Semester at Sea. The second-place winner receives $1,250 and full tuition for a summer session at the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.
• Deadline: Early spring (specific deadline may vary by year).

20)  Bill of Rights Institute We the Students Essay Contest

In this writing competition for high school students, civic-minded U.S. high schoolers may explore the principles and virtues of the Bill of Rights Institute. Interested applicants should review the specific submission guidelines .

• Eligibility: Any high school student aged 13 to 19 may apply.
• Prize: Prizes range from $1,500 to $10,000.
• Deadline: Submissions for 2024 due May 19th (specific deadline may vary by year).

21)  JFK Presidential Library and Museum Profile in Courage Essay Contest

For students interested in history and political science, this competition offers the chance to write about U.S. elected officials who have demonstrated political courage.

• Eligibility: U.S. high school students from grades 9-12 may apply.
• Prize: First prize is $10,000; second prize receives $3,000; five finalists receive $1,000 each; ten semifinalists receive $100 each; eight students receive honorable mention.
• Deadline: Submissions accepted from September to January (specific deadline may vary by year).
• Sample Essays: 2000-2023 Contest Winner Essays

22)  John Locke Institute Essay Competition

This essay competition is for students who would like to write about and cultivate “independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style” from one of seven intellectual categories: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology or law.

• Eligibility: Students from any country may submit an essay.
• Prize: $2,000 for each subject category winner toward a John Locke Institute program; winning essays will be published on the Institute’s website.
• Deadline: Registration must be completed by May 31st, 2024; essay submission due June 30th, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

23)  Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association Essay Contest

This exciting writing competition for high schoolers allows students to explore topics related to journalism, democracy and media literacy. Specific prompts will be provided for contestants each year.

• Eligibility: All U.S. students from grades 9-12 may submit original writing to participate in this contest.
• Prize: First-place winners will receive $1,000; second place is awarded $500; third place receives $300.
• Deadline: February (specific deadline may vary by year).

24)  Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy Youth Scholarship Essay

This audio essay allows high school students the opportunity to “express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriot-themed recorded essay.” One winner will be granted a $35,000 scholarship to be paid toward their university, college, or vocational school of choice. Smaller prizes range from $1,000-$21,000, and the first-place winner in each VFW state wins $1,000.

• Prize: College scholarships range from $1,000-$35,000
• Eligibility: U.S. students in grades 9-12 may submit a 3-5-minute audio essay.
• Deadline: October 31st
• Sample Written Essay: 2023-2024 Prize-winning essay by Sophia Lin

25)  World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition recognizes young scholars who explore world historical events and how they relate to the student scholar personally. Ultimately the student writer must describe “the experience of being changed by a better understanding of world history.”

• Eligibility: Internationally, students ages K-12 may submit an entry. See specific prompt and submission guidelines for writing instructions.
• Prize: $500

Writing Competitions for High School Students – Sources

[i] Institute for Education Sciences: National Center for Education Statistics. “Number of applications for admission from first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students were received by postsecondary institutions in the fall.” https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/TrendGenerator/app/answer/10/101

[ii] Jaschik, Scott. “Record Applications, Record Rejections.” Inside Higher Ed . 3 April 2022. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/04/04/most-competitive-colleges-get-more-competitive

[iii] Wood, Sarah. “College Applications are on the Rise: What to Know.” U.S. News & World Report. 21 June 2022. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/college-applications-are-on-the-rise-what-to-know

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Discourse, debate, and analysis

Cambridge re:think essay competition 2024.

Competition Opens: 15th January, 2024

Essay Submission Deadline: 10th May, 2024 Result Announcement: 20th June, 2024 Award Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Cambridge: 30th July, 2024

We welcome talented high school students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Entry to the competition is free.

About the Competition

The spirit of the Re:think essay competition is to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The competition covers a diverse array of subjects, from historical and present issues to speculative future scenarios. Participants are invited to engage deeply with these topics, critically analysing their various facets and implications. It promotes intellectual exploration and encourages participants to challenge established norms and beliefs, presenting opportunities to envision alternative futures, consider the consequences of new technologies, and reevaluate longstanding traditions. 

Ultimately, our aim is to create a platform for students and scholars to share their perspectives on pressing issues of the past and future, with the hope of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s competition aims to underscore the importance of discourse, debate, and critical analysis in addressing complex societal issues in nine areas, including:

Religion and Politics

Political science and law, linguistics, environment, sociology and philosophy, business and investment, public health and sustainability, biotechonology.

Artificial Intelligence 

Neuroengineering

2024 essay prompts.

This year, the essay prompts are contributed by distinguished professors from Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT.

Essay Guidelines and Judging Criteria

Review general guidelines, format guidelines, eligibility, judging criteria.

Awards and Award Ceremony

Award winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and Dinner hosted at the King’s College, University of Cambridge. The Dinner is free of charge for select award recipients.

Registration and Submission

Register a participant account today and submit your essay before the deadline.

Advisory Committee and Judging Panel

The Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee comprising distinguished academics and experts from elite universities worldwide. These committee members, drawn from prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT, bring diverse expertise in various disciplines.

They play a pivotal role in shaping the competition, contributing their insights to curate the themes and framework. Their collective knowledge and scholarly guidance ensure the competition’s relevance, academic rigour, and intellectual depth, setting the stage for aspiring minds to engage with thought-provoking topics and ideas.

We are honoured to invite the following distinguished professors to contribute to this year’s competition.

The judging panel of the competition comprises leading researchers and professors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, engaging in a strictly double blind review process.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

Why has religion remained a force in a secular world? 

Professor Commentary:

Arguably, the developed world has become more secular in the last century or so. The influence of Christianity, e.g. has diminished and people’s life worlds are less shaped by faith and allegiance to Churches. Conversely, arguments have persisted that hold that we live in a post-secular world. After all, religion – be it in terms of faith, transcendence, or meaning – may be seen as an alternative to a disenchanted world ruled by entirely profane criteria such as economic rationality, progressivism, or science. Is the revival of religion a pale reminder of a by-gone past or does it provide sources of hope for the future?

‘Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Jürgen Habermas (European Journal of Philosophy, 2006)

In this paper, philosopher Jürgen Habermas discusses the limits of church-state separation, emphasizing the significant contribution of religion to public discourse when translated into publicly accessible reasons.

‘Public Religions in the Modern World’ by José Casanova (University Of Chicago Press, 1994)

Sociologist José Casanova explores the global emergence of public religion, analyzing case studies from Catholicism and Protestantism in Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the USA, challenging traditional theories of secularization.

‘The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West (Edited by Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen, Columbia University Press, 2011)

This collection features dialogues by prominent intellectuals on the role of religion in the public sphere, examining various approaches and their impacts on cultural, social, and political debates.

‘Rethinking Secularism’ by Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Oxford University Press, 2011)

An interdisciplinary examination of secularism, this book challenges traditional views, highlighting the complex relationship between religion and secularism in contemporary global politics.

‘God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World’ by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (Penguin, 2010)

Micklethwait and Wooldridge argue for the coexistence of religion and modernity, suggesting that religious beliefs can contribute to a more open, tolerant, and peaceful modern world.

‘Multiculturalism’ by Tariq Modood (Polity Press, 2013)

Sociologist Tariq Modood emphasizes the importance of multiculturalism in integrating diverse identities, particularly in post-immigration contexts, and its role in shaping democratic citizenship.

‘God’s Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England’ by Matthew Engelke (University of California Press, 2013)

In this ethnographic study, Matthew Engelke explores how a group in England seeks to expand the role of religion in the public sphere, challenging perceptions of religion in post-secular England.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I participate in the Re:think essay competition? 

The Re:think Essay competition is meant to serve as fertile ground for honing writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and refining communication abilities. Winning or participating in reputable contests can lead to recognition, awards, scholarships, or even publication opportunities, elevating your academic profile for college applications and future endeavours. Moreover, these competitions facilitate intellectual growth by encouraging exploration of diverse topics, while also providing networking opportunities and exposure to peers, educators, and professionals. Beyond accolades, they instil confidence, prepare for higher education demands, and often allow you to contribute meaningfully to societal conversations or causes, making an impact with your ideas.

Who is eligible to enter the Re:think essay competition?  

As long as you’re currently attending high school, regardless of your location or background, you’re eligible to participate. We welcome students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Is there any entry fee for the competition? 

There is no entry fee for the competition. Waiving the entry fee for our essay competition demonstrates CCIR’s dedication to equity. CCIR believes everyone should have an equal chance to participate and showcase their talents, regardless of financial circumstances. Removing this barrier ensures a diverse pool of participants and emphasises merit and creativity over economic capacity, fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all contributors.

Subscribe for Competition Updates

If you are interested to receive latest information and updates of this year’s competition, please sign up here.

Essay Writing Contests: The Ultimate List of 2024

Did you know that the very first recorded essay contest can be traced back to the early 16th century, initiated by none other than the renowned philosopher and essayist Michel de Montaigne? In 1580, Montaigne published his collection of essays titled 'Essais,' which not only marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of the essay as a literary form but also contained an implicit challenge to his readers. He encouraged them to engage with his ideas and respond by writing their own essays, essentially laying the groundwork for what we now recognize as essay contests.

Fast forward to the vibrant year of 2024, and this tradition of writing competitions has evolved into a global phenomenon, offering emerging writers from all walks of life a captivating platform to share their thoughts, emotions, and narratives with the world.

In this article, our essay writer will review essay writing contests, presenting you with an exclusive selection of the most promising opportunities for the year ahead. Each of these competitions not only provides a stage to demonstrate your writing prowess but also offers a unique avenue for personal growth, self-expression, and intellectual exploration, all while competing for impressive writing awards and well-deserved recognition.

Top Essay Writing Contests in 2024

If you enjoy expressing your thoughts and ideas through writing, you're in for a treat. Essay writing competitions in 2024 offer you a chance to do just that and win some great prizes in the process. We've put together a list of contests specially designed for students like you. These contests cover various interesting essay topics , giving you a unique opportunity to showcase your writing skills and potentially earn cash prizes or scholarships. So, let's jump right into these fantastic opportunities.

2024 International Literary Prize by Hammond House Publishing

The 2024 Writing Competition beckons writers with over £3000 in cash prizes, publication opportunities in anthologies, and a chance to participate in a televised Award Ceremony. Sponsored by the University Centre Grimsby, this annual contest, now in its eighth year, draws entries from approximately 30 countries worldwide. Entrants can vie for prizes across four categories, gaining exposure at the televised award ceremony and receiving expert feedback at the annual literary festival.

And if you're determined to learn how to overcome writer's block for this contest, we have a wealth of expert tips and strategies to guide you through the process!

Deadline: 30th September 2024

• 1st Prize: £1000
• 2nd Prize: £100
• 3rd Prize: £50

Ready to Break Free From Essay Stress?

Let our writing wizards rescue your grades with a tailor-made essay that'll make your professors do a double-take!

International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition by Vine Leaves Press

Vine Leaves Press welcomes writers worldwide, prioritizing voices from marginalized communities such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and individuals with chronic illnesses or disabilities, among others. Submissions, which must be in English and previously unpublished, are accepted from February 1, 2024, until July 1, 2024. Manuscripts can be either narrative (50,000 – 80,000 words) or experimental (at least 100 pages), adhering to specific formatting guidelines, including anonymity to ensure impartial judging. Each submission requires a $25 entry fee via Submittable, and multiple entries are allowed. Entries will be judged based on originality, creativity, writing quality, and adherence to genre, with finalists announced in October 2024, shortlisted in January 2025, and winners in March 2025.

Deadline: July 01, 2024

• The winner will receive a cash prize of $1000.
• Publication of the winning manuscript will occur in 2026 by Vine Leaves Press.
• Runners-up will also be considered for publication.

Solas Awards by Best Travel Writing

The Solas Awards, continuing a tradition since 1993, celebrate travel stories that inspire. They're looking for engaging tales that capture the essence of exploration, whether funny, enlightening, or adventurous. Winners may get published and join a community of fellow storytellers. Entries in essay, non-fiction, and travel genres are welcome with a $25 submission fee.

Deadline: September 21, 2024

• $1,000 Gold
• $750 Silver
• $500 Bronze

Vocal Challenges by Creatd

Vocal, in partnership with Voices in Minor (ViM), announces a creator-led challenge in celebration of International Women's Day, open to all Vocal creators. Participants are invited to write a 600-800 word piece about a woman who has inspired them for International Women's Day in the Year of the Dragon 2024. Submissions must adhere to specific length criteria and can be of any genre or format. Vocal will review entries and create a shortlist, from which ViM will select two co-grand prize winners and ten runners-up.

Deadline: Mar 12, 2024

• 2 Co-Grand Prizes: $200
• 10 Runners-up: $20

Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition 2024

The Re:think Essay Competition welcomes students aged 14 to 18 worldwide to participate in crafting essays under 2000 words, following MLA 8 citation style, with submissions undergoing plagiarism and AI checks. Essay prompts cover diverse themes, such as the role of women in STEM , provided by distinguished professors from prestigious institutions like Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT. To maintain anonymity during review, submissions should be in PDF format without personal details.

Deadline : 10th May, 2024

• Gold: $150 cash, $500 CCIR scholarship, digital certificate, interview, Cambridge invite.
• Silver: $100 cash, $300 CCIR scholarship, digital certificate, interview, Cambridge invite.
• Bronze: $50 cash, $200 CCIR scholarship, digital certificate, interview, Cambridge invite.

The Hudson Prize by Black Lawrence Press

Each year, Black Lawrence Press presents The Hudson Prize, inviting submissions for an unpublished collection of poems or prose. This competition is open to writers at all stages of their careers, offering the winner book publication, a $1,000 cash prize, and ten copies of the published book. Entries are read blind by a panel of editors, requiring manuscripts to adhere to specific formatting guidelines, including pagination and font choice. Poetry manuscripts should be 45-95 pages, while prose manuscripts should range from 120-280 pages.

Deadline : March 31, 2024

• Top prize $1,000

Irene Adler Prize by Lucas Ackroyd

Introducing The Irene Adler Prize essay writing contest, offering a $1,000 US scholarship to the winner, with up to two $250 awards for honorable mentions. Open to women pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D. degrees in journalism, creative writing, or literature worldwide, regardless of age. Unlike previous years, this year's competition welcomes applicants from any country. The application period runs from January 30, 2024, to May 30, 2024, with no late submissions accepted. Each application requires a 500-word essay on one of five provided prompts and a completed entry form, both submitted via email.

Deadline : May 30, 2024

• 2x honorable mentions: $250

100 Word Writing Contest by Tadpole Press

With a doubled first-place prize of $2,000 USD, participants are invited from all corners of the globe, regardless of age, gender, or nationality. Pen names are accepted, and winning entries will be published under those names. Previously published pieces are also welcome, with no restrictions. Any genre is accepted, with the theme centered around creativity. Each entry must be 100 words or less, including the title.

Deadline : April 30, 2024

• 1st place: $2,000 USD.
• 2nd place: Writing coaching package valued at $450 USD.
• 3rd place: Developmental and diversity editing package valued at $250 USD.

African Diaspora Awards 2024 by Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

The African Diaspora Award 2024 seeks original works from Afro-descendants, including short stories, flash fiction, essays, poetry, or visual art. Winners can earn up to $1000 USD and publication in Kinsman Quarterly and "Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora." Submissions reflecting cultural themes are due by June 30, 2024. Authors retain copyrights, and entrants must be 18 or older. No plagiarism is allowed, and Kinsman Quarterly employees cannot enter. Various genres are accepted with specific word count limits.

Deadline : June 30, 2024

• Grand Prize: $1000 cash and publication in Kinsman Quarterly & anthology.
• 1st Runner Up: $300 cash and publication 
• 2nd Runner Up: $200 cash and publication 
• 3rd Runner Up: $50 cash and publication
• Top 6 Finalists: $25 Amazon gift card and publication 
• 6 Honorary Mentions: Publication in Kinsman Quarterly & anthology.

Work-In-Progress (WIP) Contest by Unleash Press

The Unleash WIP Award 2024 offers $500, feedback, coaching, and a feature in Unleash Lit to help writers with their book projects in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. All writers can apply. So, if you're looking for resources like free Harvard online courses to hone your writing skills, consider entering this competition. Submissions of the first 25 pages and answers to questions are due by July 15, 2024. Multiple entries are okay, but follow the rules, especially keeping your submission anonymous. Unleash also welcomes previously self-published works.

Deadline : July 15, 2024

• Top prize: $500
• Additional prizes: Coaching, interview, and editorial support

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award by Trio House Press

Open to all writers, the poetry manuscripts should be 48-70 pages, and the prose manuscripts should be up to 80,000 words. Submissions must be from U.S. residents and must be original works. AI-generated submissions and translations are not eligible. Manuscripts should be sent as a single Word doc. or docx. file with no identifying information, and a cover letter with bio and contact details should be uploaded separately.

Deadline: May 15, 2024

• $1,000, publication, and 20 books

Poetry & Spoken Word Competition 2024 by Write the World

Young writers aged 13 to 19.5 are invited to enter this upcoming competition, with submissions of 50 to 500 words. Inspired by Audrey Lorde's words and the power of poetry, participants are encouraged to craft original poems or spoken word pieces advocating for change and self-expression. Winners, including top prizes for written and recorded performances, will be announced on June 14. Malika Booker, a renowned British poet, serves as the guest judge. To enter, writers should sign up on Write the World, respond to the prompt, and submit their final entries before the deadline.

Deadline : May 27, 2024

• Best entry: $100
• Best Peer Review: $50

Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award

The Killer Nashville essay writing contests seek to uncover new talent and recognize outstanding works by established authors, aiming to introduce their works to a broader audience. With numerous fiction and non-fiction categories available, writers have the opportunity to showcase their talent across a wide range of genres. The top prize includes a $250 award, and entry requires a fee of $79. Genres eligible for entry encompass crime, essay, fantasy, fiction, humor, memoir, mystery, non-fiction, novel, poetry, science fiction, script writing, short story, and thriller.

Deadline : June 15, 2024

• Top prize: $250

Journalism Competition 2024 by Write the World

In this upcoming competition, young writers aged 13 to 19.5 are invited to participate, with entries ranging from 400 to 1000 words. Participants are tasked with exploring and reporting on significant events within their own country, fostering a deeper understanding of local issues. Optional draft submissions for expert review are available until July 8, with feedback returned to writers by July 12. Winners will be announced on August 9. To enter, writers must sign up for a free account on Write the World, respond to the prompt, and submit their final entries before the deadline.

Deadline : July 22, 2024

National Essay Contest by U.S. Institute of Peace

This year, AFSA is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service. They've been involved in important events throughout history, like making decisions about war and peace, supporting human rights, and responding to disasters. Now, AFSA wants students to think about the future of diplomacy. They're asking students to imagine how diplomats can adapt to the changing world and its challenges. It's a chance for students to explore how diplomacy can continue to make a difference in the world.

Deadline : April 01, 2024

• Top prize: $2,500
• Additional prizes: Runner-up: $1,250

In 2023, the world of writing competitions offers a diverse tapestry of opportunities for writers across the globe. From exploring the depths of nature to delving into the mysteries of microfiction, these competitions beckon with enticing prizes and platforms for your creative voice. So, pick your favorite, sharpen your pen, and embark on a journey of literary excellence!

Unlock the Essay Enchantment!

Our expert wordsmiths are standing by, wands at the ready, to craft your essay masterpiece. No potions, just perfect prose!

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

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The prize spotlights robust, insightful undergraduate writing about the ways policy can address contemporary world challenges. Read this year's winning essay.

Perry World House (PWH), the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for global policy research, is accepting submissions for the 2023 Undergraduate Essay Prize. This $1,000 prize recognizes outstanding student writing on how policy can be used to tackle global policy challenges.

We encourage students from all of Penn’s four undergraduate schools to apply. Students should submit original essays in response to the prompt provided below. The essay should not have been previously published or accepted for publication elsewhere.

2023 Undergraduate Essay Prize Winner

by Meheer Commuri

In his winning essay, Meheer Commuri discusses the shift in US foreign policy priorities from the Middle East to China. He explains consequences of this shift, and why the US should consider reengaging the Middle East. He argues that the region should remain a foreign policy priority for countries around the world for economic reasons, and to avoid giving China space to further engage with the region.

Meheer Commuri is a rising junior from New York studying International Relations in the School of Arts and Sciences. When not discussing foreign policy, he writes for  Punch Bowl , Penn’s satirical magazine. He is also a member of the Philomathean Society.

Read more >>

2022 Undergraduate Essay Prize Winners

by Julia Esposito

This essay looks at efforts to reduce global carbon emissions to mitigate climate change, which have proven relatively ineffective. Given that the impacts of climate change are already being felt, especially in developing countries, she suggests focusing on adaptive climate policies that can protect communities from severe weather events and rising sea levels.

Julia Esposito is a senior studying Physics and Astronomy with a Biological concentration. She is originally from Connecticut and currently works as a research assistant in a cosmology lab. She is the Word on the Street section editor for  34th Street Magazine , is a co-founder and board member for the Penn Astronomical Student Association, and is on the executive board for Penn's Social Deduction Club.

by Sachit Gali

This essay explores how to weaken China's control of the global supply of rare earth elements. These highly valuable elements are vital for manufacturing a range of products, from consumer goods to advanced military technologies, and there is an urgent need to diversify their production and improve global access.  Sachit Gali, a junior from Florida, studies Economics with a minor in Consumer Psychology. He is passionate about the intersection of economics with fields such as sustainable global development, international security studies, and human rights. Gali is the Business Manager of the Penn Masala a cappella group, a social impact consultant for 180 Degrees Consulting, and a research assistant for the Penn Development Research Initiative.

by Noah Sylvia

This essay looks at how militaries deploy asymmetric weaponry - weapons that are smaller than, but still effective against, adversaries' weaponry. It sets out how the Ukrainian army has made use of portable Javelin missiles to target Russian tanks, and why this could be relevant to future invasions of smaller states by larger neighbors. Noah Sylvia, a rising senior, studies International Relations and Russian and Eastern European Studies and is a Perry World House Student Fellow. He is interested in power dynamics in post-Soviet states and how violent non-state entities develop and operate over time. Noah researches Military Technology and Civilian Victimization, and is the head managing editor for the Sigma Iota Rho  Journal of International Relations.

2021 Undergraduate Essay Prize Winners

by Abby Baggini

This paper aims to make clear the discrepancy between the international internet law preferred and endorsed by authoritarian regimes and liberal democracies. Ultimately, this paper argues that fundamentally, authoritarian and democratic governments have distinct preferences for the content and design of emerging internet law, resulting in competing visions for an international cyber legal regime. 

by Chonnipha (Jing Jing) Piriyalertsak

China’s dam construction and hydropower activity in the Mekong River has exacerbated drought in downstream regions, threatening the livelihoods of 60 million people across five Southeast Asian countries. The conflict shows how Southeast Asian countries have been bound to China’s economic investments, resulting in greater leeway for China to develop the Mekong as it wishes— if the U.S. wishes to counteract Chinese influence, it must support its Southeast Asian allies in negotiating for more agency over water governance.

by Gabriella F. Rabito

30.4 million refugees and asylum-seekers, in compliance with international refugee law, are exercising their right to seek asylum in a country other than their country of origin. This paper investigates the treatment of refugees in detention centers in countries hosting the most refugees in their respective regions: Turkey (Middle East), Colombia (Latin America), Uganda (Africa), Germany (Europe), Bangladesh (Asia), and the United States (North America). Through this analysis, it is evident that many detention centers worldwide deprive refugees of liberty and safety.

by Emrys Stromberg

The Huichol are the oldest surviving culture in Mexico who continue to practice their traditions much as they have for centuries. Each year they conduct a pilgrimage of over 400km from their communities in the western sierras eastward to the semi-desertic high plateaus of the Sierra de Catorce which they call Wirikuta. This paper is about the current conflict between the Huichol and the Canadian mining company First Majestic Silver over the landscape of the Wirikuta/Catorce region.

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Student Essay Prize

Submissions are invited for the Design History Society Essay Prizes, established in 1997 to foster and support high standards in design history research in higher education. The award recognises exceptional student contributions to the field of design history. Two essay prizes are awarded annually; one to an undergraduate student and the other to a postgraduate (MA or PhD) student. The DHS is committed to equity and inclusion and believes that engaging with a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives not only enriches the discourse but also uncovers new narratives within design history. In line with this commitment encourages applications that represent, or whose work foregrounds, diverse perspectives and under-represented narratives within the field of design history. We aim to inform all applicants of the outcome of their submission within three weeks of the submission deadline via email. Prize winners receive:

- one year's membership of the Design History Society (includes subscription to the Journal of Design History and eligibility to apply for further grants and awards) - Free place at the 2024 Design History Society annual conference

- up to £200 towards the costs of travel and accommodation to attend the conference

- £100 in Oxford University Press book tokens Eligibility The essay must not have previously been published and it must have been completed within one year of the student's graduation date. For instance, an essay submitted during the student’s final year of study in 2023 would be eligible for submission for the deadline of the prize in 2024. We welcome a diverse range of formats for submissions, including but not limited to written essays, moving image presentations, visual essays, and other innovative modes for disseminating design history research. Participants are encouraged to explore creative ways to express their ideas and contribute to the discourse in design history. Written essays should not exceed 8,000 words including image captions and references/footnotes but excluding the list of illustrations and bibliography. A word count must be provided with the essay and on the submission form. Assessment Criteria Applications are anonymised and judged on the following criteria:

• original and significant contribution of the outlined activity to the discipline of design history and its dissemination
• the essay should demonstrate a mature and novel approach to issues, themes, and discourses currently relevant in the field of design history
• the essay should demonstrate excellence in terms of breadth of research and should combine a good balance of primary and secondary sources.
• methods of research and delivery should reflect good practice in design history. For example, an ideal essay would demonstrate one or more of the following: detailed, object-focused description and analysis· application of appropriate historical approaches (social, economic, cultural, etc.) a sophisticated approach to interpretation, utilizing relevant theoretical perspectives (Marxism, feminism, etc.:· correct use of discipline-specific methodologies (archaeology, anthropology, etc.)
• the essay should demonstrate Competence in questioning the essay’s subject material and engaging incorporated resources, discourses and methods should be present and coherent. Submissions should surpass description of their material and demonstrate an ability to critically engage in their subject matter to further an argument.
• the essay should be well-structured, well-written and presented to a high standard, including appropriate citations (footnotes or endnotes) and bibliography, submission should be written in English

Dissemination

Recipients of this grant are asked to provide a report of 500-800 words of their project (with a copy-right free image and caption) to be published on the DHS website, within 6 months of notification of receipt of the award. Alternative means of dissemination will also be considered. To discuss this matter further contact the DHS Senior Administrator, Jenna Allsopp at [email protected] Recipients must acknowledge the contribution of the DHS through the inclusion of the Society’s logo in any published or public presentation. Logos can be obtained from the DHS Senior Administrator. Submission guidelines Two documents in Word format are required:

• One digital copy of the essay
• One entry form (this can be downloaded on the side bar). This entry form must contain a nomination statement form a tutor or supervisor. Initial selection criteria should reflect the internal assessment requirements of the nominating institution: for example, an essay graded First Class Honours.

Submissions should be emailed to the Design History Society Senior Administrator Jenna Allsopp at [email protected] by 11:59pm BST on 27 June . The email subject line should clearly state “DHS Essay Prize” and the category of entry: “undergraduate”/ “postgraduate”

No applications submitted after the above date will be considered.

Applicants are requested not to send CVs, as these will not be taken into consideration in the judging process,

Essay Prize 2024

Applications for the Essay Prize should be submitted to the DHS Senior Administrator, Jenna Allsopp at [email protected]

Deadline 11:59pm BST on 27 June 2024

Student Essay Prize Entry Form

Previous Award Winners

View previous winners of the Student Essay Prize

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18 May 2024

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Cambridge Essay Competitions

Essay competitions are brilliant for a number of reasons!

You can use them to:

The essay competitions usually become open for submissions after the winter holidays. Be sure to check any eligibility criteria, requirements and deadlines. This page will be updated when new competitions are announced, and when deadlines are passed, so check back regularly! All essay competitions and events at Cambridge (both online and in-person) can be found here 🔗 🌟.

Magdalene College Arts and Humanities Essay Competition 2024 🔗 🌟 Any student in their penultimate year at a state school can enter this competition, which will open in early 2024. Last year, there were 12 questions covering a variety of topics within the arms and humanities - you can read the winning entries here 🔗. To register your interest in this competition for 2024, fill in this form 🔗.

Fitzwilliam College Essay Competitions: various subjects 🔗 🌟 Fitzwilliam College runs a variety of competitions in Ancient World and Classics, Archaeology, History, Land Economy, Medieval World, Architecture, and Economics (this last one is for state-school UK students only). All competitions are open to Year 12 students and are designed to encourage students to pursue their interests in subjects they might not be able to study in depth at school. Last year, the deadline for all competition entries was the 1st of March, so make sure to check back in early 2024 for updates.

Newnham College Woolf Essay Prize 🔗 🌟 The Woolf Essay Competition is focussed on women in literature, history, society and culture. There are also competitions for other subjects - more information these will be coming soon. Webinars to help support your entry can be found here 🔗 . The deadline for the Woolf Prize last year was the 14th of July.

Girton College Humanities Writing Competition 🔗 An opportunity for students interested in pursuing any humanities subject to write creatively! Year 12 students may enter with an essay or piece of creative writing using an object from Girton College’s small antiquities museum, the Lawrence Room, as their prompt.

Robinson College Essay Prize: various subjects 🔗 Year 12 students may submit an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to one of the set questions, which cover a wide variety of academic subjects. The prize did not run in 2023, but may in 2024.

Trinity College Essay Prizes 🔗 These competitions give entrants the opportunity to write an essay of up to 2,000 words in response to the set question/(s). Last year there were competitions for English Literature, Launguages, Linguistics, Philosophy, Politics, Law, and History.

Did you spot a typo or formatting issue? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] .

The Ethics Essay Prize

Smu’s maguire center for ethics and public responsibility is proud to host the 2023-2024 ethics essay prize - an essay competition open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at smu. the competition encourages the development of ethical discernment, imagination, and thoughtful reflection by challenging students to consider the role of ethics in their lives. further, the contest provides the maguire ethics center valuable insights into topics of importance to students., 2023-2024 ethics essay prize submissions are closed.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2023-2024 Ethics Essay Prize. Winners will be announced in early April.

Download the Scoring Rubric Here

First Place: $1,000

Second Place: $500

Third Place: $300

Honorable Mentions: $200

The competition maintains separate divisions for graduate and undergraduate submissions; however, both categories now share a uniform deadline of February 28th.

Essay Topic

Explore your preferred topic by selecting one of the prompts presented below:

1. Reflect on an ethical issue you have encountered in your own life and analyze and evaluate the situation. Describe the ethical dilemma you faced, providing relevant context and exploring the factors that contributed to the complexity of the issue. Reflect on your decision-making process, considering the role of personal values, moral principles, and ethical reasoning in shaping your response to the ethical issue. Finally, discuss the lessons you have learned from this experience and how it has influenced your understanding of ethics in real-life situations.

2. Analyze a contemporary societal issue of significance by examining the ethical dimensions, implications, or potential solutions related to the chosen issue. Consider the broader collective impact, potential conflicts of interest, and the ethical responsibilities of individuals, institutions, and organizations involved. Your essay should present a well-reasoned argument, incorporating relevant ethical theories and principles to support your analysis and recommendations.

In many successful Ethics Essay Prize submissions, students applied an ethical framework to their discussions, a choice that significantly elevated the depth and quality of their essays. By voluntarily choosing to apply an ethical lens to their discussions, students not only showcase their intellectual rigor but also demonstrate a profound understanding of the complex moral dimensions inherent in the topics they explore.

Moreover, it reflects a commitment to thoughtful contemplation, encouraging students to grapple with ethical dilemmas, ethical theories, and their real-world applications. In doing so, students’ essays will not only be more academically robust but also socially relevant, making a compelling case for the ethical imperative that underpins their arguments.

For students seeking guidance or direction in their Ethics Essay Prize submission, the Santa Clara Markkula Center for Applied Ethics offers a valuable resource – the Framework for Ethical Decision Making. This framework provides a comprehensive and useful tool to aid in crafting well-written essays. You can access the Framework for Ethical Decision Making here .

Submission Requirements

• Essays must be submitted as a Microsoft Word file here (link to Qualtrics).
• The title of the Microsoft Word document file name must be the Entrant’s last name only (e.g., LastName.docx).
• All materials must be received by 5 PM on the essay’s due date.
• Essays should be 4,000 – 6,000 words, not exceeding 6,000 words. Essays must be written by a single author, typed in Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, and standard one-inch margins.
• Essays written for a class requirement are acceptable for submission.
• Students may only submit one essay. Further submissions will not be read.
• Submissions must include a reference page and proper in-text source documentation. Plagiarism will lead to disqualification and referral to student conduct.
• There will be two separate submissions prompts for the cover page and the essay. Essay cover pages will be submitted separately from the essay. Only the title of the essay, and not the author’s name, should appear on the first page of the essay itself.
• The cover page must include the:
• essay's title
• author’s name
• current classification (e.g., First Year, Second Year, etc.)
• area of study/major
• date the essay was submitted
• SMU ID number
• Mailing address
• telephone number
• e-mail address
• the word count of the essay (excluding cover page and references). 

The Ethics Essay Prize is open to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at SMU.

Employees of the Maguire Ethics Center (and the immediate family members of said employees) are not eligible to participate in the contest.

Are essays written for course credit eligible for submission?

Yes, your essay submission can be from any class or from your independent writing outside of class.

What citation format should I write in?

There is no one required citation style, but your style should be professional and consistent. MLA or APA styles are recommended. Please cite all outside sources used, including a "works cited" page if necessary.

When are Ethics Essay Prize Winners announced?

Ethics Essay Prize winners will be announced in early April.

How will I know you have received my essay?

Ethics Essay Prize participants will receive an email receipt upon submission of their essay.

Can I read previous essay submissions?

Although previous winning essays from the Maguire Ethics Essay Prize are not accessible for public download, we invite students to explore the distinguished essays awarded by the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest. These essays offer valuable insights into effective writing strategies, persuasive arguments, and ethical reasoning.

How will I be notified when winners are chosen?

Ethics Essay Prize participants will be sent an email in early April informing them if they have earned a prize.

I entered the contest and won an award last year; may I enter again?

Yes! You may enter the Ethics Essay Prize even if you have previously won a prize.

Can I use content generated by artificial intelligence tools such as Chat-GPT in my submission?

• Submissions must primarily consist of original content, with the option to incorporate AI-generated materials when properly cited. AI can produce content that contains inaccurate information, offensive language/images, and biased or unethical representations. What you submit is fully your responsibility across these dimensions. You must provide clear attribution of your sources by following these rules below:
• Your essay must offer a clear explanation of how you used Generative AI in your writing.
• All content created by AI in your writing must include a clear citation using a format such as this example:
• [Chat-GPT-3. (YYYY, Month DD of query). Text of your query. Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/].

Any submissions that utilize Generative AI without attribution can be seen as potential academic dishonesty and will be treated at the undergraduate level within the SMU Student Honor Code and at the graduate and professional level within the honor codes found in their respective school policies.

2023-2024 graduate winners:

• Written by Sara Beth Becker, a Medical Anthropology graduate student. 
• Written by  Maria Castaneda Tellez, a Liberal Studies Ph.D. candidate.
• Written by Adeeb Abdul Taher, a Computer Science master's student.

2023-2024 undergraduate winners:

• Written by Cooper Shapard, a first-year studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. 
• Written by  Anna Kelley Zielke, a third-year studying Dance Performance and Political Science.
• Written by Andrew McClure, a third-year studying Finance and Philosophy.
• Written by Silas Hartman, a fourth-year studying Mechanical Engineering.

Spring 2023 graduate winners: 

• Written by Luis Zambrano, a Master of Education student.
• Written by Melissa Almonasi-Mulero , a Master of Education student. 
• Written by Marie Schrampfer, a Systematic Theology Ph.D. candidate.
• Written by Carolyn Mason, a Medical Anthropology Ph.D. candidate.

Fall 2022 undergraduate winners: 

• Written by Zoe Roberts, a third year in the class of 2024 studying Public Policy, Economics, and Human Rights.
• Written by Daniel Ryan, a third year in the class of 2024 studying Computer Science and Music.
• Written by Evan Johnson, a second year in the class of 2025 studying Finance and Spanish.
• Written by Nicholas Simpson, a fourth year in the class of 2023 studying Health and Society.

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• Written by Louis Siebrits, Doctor of Liberal Studies candidate
• Written by Megan Brown, Anthropology PhD candidate
• Written by Danny Sebastian, Religious Studies PhD candidate
• Written by RL Holmes, Doctor of Liberal Studies candidate

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GSA Prize for the Best Essay in German Studies by a Graduate Student

This prize is awarded to the best unpublished, article-length manuscript written by a graduate student during the previous year. The prize winner is recognized at the annual banquet of the GSA, and a revised version of the essay will be published in  German Studies Review .

2023 Recipient of the Graduate Student Essay Prize

In his essay, “The Reception of Homoeroticism in the Works of Karl May: A Case Study in the Intellectual History of Sexuality in Post-War Germany,” Christian Meyer brilliantly excavates and analyzes a high-temperature debate among scholars, writers, and Karl May enthusiasts about the disputed presence and ultimate meaning of homoeroticism in the life and work of Karl May. The author shows that this debate was shaped by larger changes in West German society, culture, and politics during the 1960s and the 1970s, particularly the movement to decriminalize homosexuality and changing understandings of the Nazi past, specifically the relationship between Nazism and sexuality. Meyer convincingly argues that the reception of homoeroticism in Karl May’s work can shed new light on the intellectual and cultural history of sexuality in postwar West Germany. He points to the important role that psychoanalytic ideas, shaped by the Nazis and vulgarized in postwar decades, played in the debate on May’s homoeroticism and in the continuing pathologization of homosexuality, even after it was largely decriminalized in 1969. “The Reception of Homoeroticism in the Works of Karl May,” is a creative and ambitious essay. It is based on a robust and unique source base and engages intelligently with the relevant historiography. The committee congratulates Christian Meyer on his engaging and insightful contribution to the history of sexuality and Karl May studies in postwar West Germany.

Previous recipients of the Graduate Student Essay Prize

2022 Winner of the GSA Prize for the Best Essay in German Studies by a Graduate Student: Qingyang Freya Zhou (University of California-Berkeley): “‘A Temporality of Imminent, Never-Consummated Arrival’: Contemporary German Documentaries on North Korea” 2022 Prize Committee: Laurie Johnson (U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Committee Chair), Carl Gelderloos (SUNY Binghamton), and Jon Olson (UMass Amherst). Laudatio:

Zhou’s essay uses close readings of contemporary documentaries to re-assess socialist experiments in the 20th century, as well as to illuminate the status of political documentary in the 21st. The stakes of the argument and the importance of Zhou’s intervention into scholarship on contemporary documentary are immediately clear and Zhou’s transnational analysis (two Germanies/two Koreas) is especially noteworthy given that it is very difficult to do nuanced, accurate, in-depth transnational analysis that preserves important historical and cultural differences while also creating compelling synchronicities or affinities between the nations/places discussed. Zhou’s paper does just that, while it is also multi-vectored, as she considers affinities and ruptures between portrayals and perceptions of the two Germanies and the two Koreas in different eras. In other words, the paper is spatially and temporally complex while also displaying coherence and accessibility. The readings of the individual films are masterfully done; they are specific even as they develop broader themes (such as the similarities and differences between German and Korean notions of “home” and the ways in which the film My Brothers and Sisters in the North is and is not a Heimatfilm). The committee congratulates Qingyang Freya Zhou on this impressive contribution to transnational German Studies.

2022 Honorable Mention, German Studies Association Graduate Student Essay Prize:

David Takamura, University of North Carolina-Duke University: “Answering Egoism: Tieck’s Alternative Theory of Romantic Irony” Laudatio:

The honorable-mention essay by David Takamura is an ambitious, energetic defense of Ludwig Tieck’s literary work with irony. The committee was most impressed with the compelling ways in which Takamura reclaims literature as philosophy. The paper demonstrates admirable knowledge of Early Romanticism and its core concepts. By re-reading Tieck’s William Lovell , Takamura re-defines Romantic irony in ways that may well bring it closer to its Idealist origins. He persuasively defends irony against accusations of solipsism and subjectivism, something that the earliest Romanticism arguably also did. In so doing, Takamura resituates our understanding of Romantic irony (moving it most prominently away from its latest definitions by Friedrich Schlegel) and also shows that literature can be a place for an invigorating working-through of philosophical debates and issues.

2021 Winner of the GSA Prize for the Best Essay in German Studies by a Graduate Student: Philip Decker (Princeton University): “Wagner in Moscow, Glinka in Berlin: An Exchange of Operas during the Molotov-Ribbentrop Years” 2021 Prize Committee: A. Dana Weber (Florida State University; Committee Chair), Eric Kurlander (Stetson University), and Ervin Malakaj (University of British Columbia). Laudatio:

Philip Decker was awarded the 2021 GSA Prize for the Best Essay by a Graduate Student for “Wagner in Moscow, Glinka in Berlin: An Exchange of Operas during the Molotov-Ribbentrop Years.” The essay concerns the brief period of rapprochement between the USSR and Nazi Germany 1939-1941. Decker brings this era to life through an innovative examination of a set of opera performances that call into question received understandings about the cultural transfer between the two countries at that time. The essay expands existing historiography by means of a nuanced cross-medial analysis of the productions’ complex political, artistic, and social contexts. It considers their emergence and reception and thereby uncovers how those involved found value in the cultural exchanges surrounding the productions and were genuinely invested in these exchanges. “Wagner in Moscow, Glinka in Berlin: An Exchange of Operas during the Molotov-Ribbentrop Years” challenges views that consider the period’s German-Russian relations as fundamentally insincere and self-interested. On the contrary, as Decker demonstrates, cultural exchanges—no matter how politically controlled—generated open-ended artistic outcomes not entirely subject to political lockstep. Decker’s command of big-picture historiography, which the essay carefully brings in conversation with individual artistic practices, impressed the committee. As did the author’s ingenuity and sophistication in developing the analysis that eloquently brings together transnational expertise and methodology to examine a complicated and controversial historical topic.

2021 Honorable Mention, German Studies Association Graduate Student Essay Prize:

Kimberly Cheng, New York University: “The Trial of Lam See-Woh: Chinese Men and German Women in Hamburg, 1933–1947” Laudatio:

Kimberly Cheng was awarded an Honorable Mention for the 2021 GSA Prize for the Best Essay by a Graduate Student with the submission “The Trial of Lam See-Woh: Chinese Men and German Women in Hamburg, 1933–1947.” This essay offers important insights about the history of racialization of Chinese men in Germany during the Nazi era and the first years after its end. It does so by carefully reconstructing the turbulent relationship between a Chinese man and a German woman by drawing on various official documents. The submission persuasively offers what would be an urgent study detailing the complexities attending interracial relationality that complicates assumptions about citizenship, gender, and race during this period. The committee was impressed with the meticulous archival work and contextualization of the documents.

2020 Prize Competition

Due to the pandemic, there was no prize awarded in 2020.

2019 Winner Announced

The GSA Prize for the Best Essay by a Graduate Student written in 2018 was awarded to Peter B. Thompson (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) for his essay “Wardens of the Toxic World: German Women’s Encounters with the Gas Mask, 1915-1945.” It will be published in a forthcoming issue of the German Studies Review .

Here is the prinze committee’s laudatio :

“Wardens of the Toxic World: German Women’s Encounters with the Gas Mask, 1915-1945,” brilliantly establishes the relationship between gender and the gas mask to show how women carved out military and technological spaces for themselves within the patriarchal world of Weimar and Nazi Germany. In cogent and persuasive prose, the author demonstrates the continuities of gendered expectations over time and the limited reach of the so-called New Woman, arguing that the specific needs of the state to educate the public about gas masks and proper procedures during air raids offered a different form of “emancipation” for women – one that took advantage of, instead of challenging, dominant norms. Impressive about “Wardens of the Toxic World” is its command of the complexity of the place of the gas mask in both real life and the social and technological imaginary of the period. Technical knowledge of chemistry and 21 industrial techniques is connected with analysis of political developments and cultural discourses culled from a wide range of primary texts and cultural objects, which are examined critically both in their own right and in the context of previous research. The author effectively brings together multiple strands of historiography into a whole greater than the sum of its equally fascinating parts.

Prize Committee: Sara Hall (University of Illinois at Chicago, chair), Stephen Lazer (Arizona State University), Peter McIsaac (University of Michigan). 

2018 Winner Announced

The winner is Matthias Müller (Cornell University) for his essay, “Rifts in Space-Time:   Carl Weiskopf in the Soviet Union.” The essay will be published in a future issue of the German Studies Review.

Here is the prize committee’s laudatio :

This year the members of the committee were pleased to receive many strong essay submissions, but we all agreed that this essay stood out for a number of reasons. Müller’s essay is commendable for his ability to present a sophisticated and complex argument about genre in a work that is well-organized and polished as well as accessible and thought-provoking for scholars across multiple disciplines. Müller provides readers with a clear roadmap of his paper and his essay evinces extensive reading and a solid command of primary and secondary sources. Müller argues that Franz Carl Weiskopf’s writing about his travels in the newly-formed Soviet Union blurs the distinction between literature and history, evoking a notion of montage through the transgression of genre conventions of travel writing. Müller carefully shows how Weiskopf brings together the concepts of experience and expectation in an era of high anticipation and excitement for the new socialist project. Weiskopf was not simply narrating his experiences, but connecting a teleological interpretation of the past and the hopes for the future of the Soviet experiment. Müller’s essay demonstrates skillful close reading and interpretation through its comparison and contrast of Weiskopf’s positions on a number of key issues in travel writing: fact vs. fiction; subjectivity vs. objectivity; space vs. time with those of his contemporaries. Importantly, Müller situates Weiskopf's work and approach to travel writing in the context of the period (1920s-1930s) and makes a persuasive case for continued cross-disciplinary scholarly interest in Weiskopf's ambitious project some 90 years later.

Prize committee: Margaret Lewis (University of Tennessee–Martin, chair), Holly Yanacek (James Madison University), Peter Yoder (Independent Scholar).

2017 Winner Announced

The winner is  Claudia Kreklau  (Emory University), for her essay on “Travel, Technology, and Theory: The Aesthetics of Ichthyology during the Second Scientific Revolution.” It will be published in a forthcoming issue of the  German Studies Review .

Here is the prize committee’s  laudatio :

On behalf of the GSA Committee charged with deciding the 2017 Graduate Student Essay Prize, we are delighted to present the Committee’s choice of the essay,  “Travel, Technology, and Theory: The Aesthetics of Ichthyology during the Second Scientific Revolution , ”  by  Claudia Kreklau , Emory University. The decision was very easy, with all judges independently coming to the same verdict. Most immediately, the essay stood out for its clear organization, its accessible, lucid writing, and its deep level of research. Each of the reviewers independently noted that they could understand this essay even though the topic was beyond their own area of expertise. I would like to highlight that this—understandability—was a key reason for the unanimous nomination, because presenting research such that a wide audience can follow and find it interesting is a skill that is sometimes underappreciated in the academic world. Yet Claudia Kreklau achieved just that, and we hope she will continue to nurture that skill as she advances in her career. The essay posits that knowledge of the world was tied to three things—world travel, technology, and aesthetics—specifically using the example of fish/fishes, and how knowledge and appreciation of fish/fishes increased during the second scientific revolution around 1800. For the overwhelming majority of human existence, the sea was perceived as threatening, and creatures inhabiting that world below water were seen as ugly and horrid. Early naturalists encountered fish only in their dead form—slimy, pale, and smelly—and so it is not surprising that early representations of fish, in books, for instance, reflect that unpleasant perception. However, as this essay shows, between 1780 and 1840, perceptions of fish changed. Technological advances in printing with color plates contributed to that, as it became possible to depict fish in life-like colors. Advances in seafaring technology and underwater exploration, making travel safer and allowing more easily to observe fish alive in their natural surroundings surely were just as important for this shift in attitudes. The essay is based on a wealth of records and sources from all across Europe, including publications, scientific cabinet collections, and travel accounts. Whether one comes from the angle of the historian, or literary scholar, or naturalist, this essay offers innovative and persuasive perspectives on the intersection of the natural world with technology and human intervention. As Keklau shows, the emerging perception of the natural world shows many parallels in different cultural settings. Characteristic for central Europe is that here, attitudes toward the natural world were shaped by aesthetics and romanticism more than elsewhere in Europe.

Prize Committee: Professors Almut Spalding (Illinois College, chair), Margaret Lewis (University of Tennessee, Martin), and Jeffrey Luppes (Indiana University, South Bend).

2016 Winner Announced

The GSA is proud to announce that this year's Graduate Student Paper Prize for the best paper in German Studies written in 2014-15 is awarded to  Ariana Orozco , University of Michigan (now at Kalamazoo College): "The Objects of Remembrance: Jenny Erpenbeck’s Short Stories Alongside Contemporary Exhibitions of East German Material Culture." The essay will be published in a future issue of the  German Studies Review . The GSA congratulates her for her excellent achievement and thanks the selection committee for its outstanding work.

Here is the text of the committee's laudatio:

Ariana Orozco's well-argued and well-formulated essay, “The Objects of Remembrance: Jenny Erpenbeck’s Short Stories Alongside Contemporary Exhibitions of East German Material Culture” compares memory practices and objects of everyday life in museum exhibits and literature. Contrasting the 2012 exhibit “Fokus DDR” at the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin and the 2011 exhibit “aufgehobene Dinge” at the Dokumentationszentrum Alltagskultur der DDR in Eisenhüttenstadt, the essay also demonstrates how Jenny Erpenbeck's two short story collections  Tand  (2001) and  Dinge, die verschwinden  (2009) narrate everyday life in East Germany through material culture and the intrusion of personal memory.

2015 Winner Announced

The GSA is proud to announce that this year's Graduate Student Paper Prize for the best paper in German Studies written in 2013-14 is awarded to  Katharina Isabel Schmidt  (Yale University) for her paper “Unmasking ‘American Legal Exceptionalism’: German Free Lawyers, American Legal Realists, and the Transatlantic Turn to ‘Life’, 1903-33.” Ms. Schmidt's paper will be published in a future issue of the  German Studies Review . The GSA congratulates her for her excellent achievement and thanks the selection committee for its outstanding work.

Katharina Isabel Schmidt’s paper “Unmasking ‘American Legal Exceptionalism”: German Free Lawyers, American Legal Realists and the Transatlantic Turn to ‘Life’, 1903-33,” employs a transnational methodology/transatlantic gaze to historicize the paradigm of American legal exceptionalism by way of comparing the American Legal Realist movement of the late 1920s, credited with fundamentally transforming American legal theory and practice, with the German Free Lawyers, a partially parallel reformist movement which failed to develop a comparable impact on the jurisprudential mainstream. The exploration of this configuration, and the factors contributing to it, is hugely impressive in its intellectual breadth and depth. Schmidt’s complex argumentation attends to political, socio-historical and institutional factors alike, and her sovereign presentation combines both broad historical strokes with attention to individual texts and transatlantic reception processes. With its transnational and transdisciplinary reach, this paper is exemplary for the kind of scholarship the German Studies Association aims to foster.

2014 Winner Announced

The GSA is proud to announce that this year's Graduate Student Paper Prize for the best paper in German Studies written in 2012-13 is awarded to  Amanda Randall  (University of Texas at Austin) for her paper "Austrian  Trümmerfilm : What a Genre’s Absence Reveals about National Postwar Cinema and Film Studies." The prize selection committee was chaired by Professor Katherine Aaslestad (History, University of West Virginia). The other committee members are Professor Daniel Magilow (German Studies, University of Tennessee, Knoxville) and Professor Larry Ping (History, Southern Utah University). Ms. Randall's paper will be published in a future issue of the  German Studies Review . The GSA congratulates her for her excellent achievement and thanks the selection committee for its outstanding work.

Amanda Randall's original, well-framed and comparative essay on post-war German and Austrian film “Austrian Trümmerfilm: What a Genre’s Absence Reveals about National Postwar Cinema and Film Studies” re-conceptualizes the genre of Trümmerfilm and highlights the scholarly biases about divisions between national cinemas.  In addressing a relatively under-explored area of film history falling between the Third Reich and the new German cinema of the 1960s, Randall’s essay offers a compelling argument for a comparative re-reading of German and Austrian cinemas that pays attention to “their aesthetic, narrative, and symbolic strategies, as well as their conditions of production and undergirding ideologies.” Ms. Randall demonstrates that such an approach enables us to expand the concept of Trümmerfilm and with it, the scope of postwar film history. Her well-written essay carefully considers both German and Austrian historiography clearly pointing out the artificial divisions cultivated by national scholarship and the conventional periodization of Trümmerfilm as she reframes the category of analysis to extend its analytical possibilities.  Ms. Randall provides strong evidence of wartime and post-war devastation represented in both national cinemas to seek a broader understanding of post-war film that understands Trümmerfilm as that which connects the audience to the war experience in order to foster a comparative cultural analysis.

2013 Winner Announced

The GSA is proud to announce that the winner of this year's Graduate Student Paper Prize for the best paper in German Studies written in 2012-13 is awarded to  Carl Gelderloos  (Cornell University) for his paper "Simply Reproducing Reality: Brecht, Benjamin, and Renger Patzsch on Photography." The prize selection committee was chaired by Professor  Anthony Steinhoff , Université de Montréal. The other members were Professors  Perry Myers , Albion College, and  Maiken Umbach , University of Nottingham. Mr. Gelderloos's paper will be published in a future issue of the  German Studies Review . The GSA congratulates him for his excellent achievement and thanks the selection committee for its outstanding work.

With his well crafted and insightful essay, "Simply Reproducing Reality: Brecht, Benjamin, and Renger Patzsch on Photography," Carl Gelderloos casts new light on contemporary debates over visual culture by reassessing some of the initial discussions on aesthetics, visual representation and technology during that iconic moment of cultural modernity, Weimar Germany. Highlighting the central place of a self consciously modern photography in Weimar era discourses on aesthetics and culture, Mr. Gelderloos brilliantly constructs a debate between Walter Benjamin and Bertolt Brecht, on the one hand, and a noted proponent of Neue Sachlichkeit in photography, Albert Ranger Patzsch, on the other, in order to expose the considerable reluctance of Weimar's cultural critics to embrace photography as a form of modern art and as an acceptable medium for representing reality. A fascinating contribution to our understandings of the conceptualization of nature and technology, with important implications for scholars of film, literature and theater, Mr. Gelderloos's essay also sharpens our awareness of the considerable gains, but also challenges, involved in bringing photography into the practice of writing history.

2012 Winner Announced

The GSA is proud to announce that the winner of this year’s Graduate Student Paper Prize for the best paper in German Studies written in 2011-12 is awarded to  Ari Linden  (Cornell University), for his paper “Beyond Repetition: Karl Kraus’s ‘Absolute Satire’.”

The prize selection committee was chaired by Professor  Kathrin Bower  (University of Richmond), and included Professors  Jennifer Miller  (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville) and  Zoe Lang  (University of South Florida). Mr. Linden’s paper will be published in a future issue of  German Studies Review . The GSA congratulates him for his excellent achievement and thanks the selection committee for its outstanding work.

Here is the text of the committee’s laudatio:

"The 2012 GSA Graduate Student Essay Prize committee is pleased to announce the winner of this year’s competition:  Ari Linden  (Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University) for his paper “Beyond Repetition: Karl Kraus’s ‘Absolute Satire’.” In his sophisticated and well-argued essay, Mr. Linden contrasts Karl Kraus’s dismissal of Heinrich Heine's writing as inauthentic satire with his praise for the work of Johann Nestroy in order to illuminate Kraus's concept of "absolute satire." For Kraus, satire must exceed the historical moment in which it was conceived so as to retain its currency over time, a quality he attributes to Nestroy but not to Heine. Linden then turns to Kraus’s Die letzten Tage der Menschheit to explore Kraus’s own approach to satirical writing. Linden reads Die letzten Tage both as a satirical indictment of World War I and as a kind of handbook on satire as a literary form. He deftly combines a judicious selection of theoretical positions to evaluate Kraus’s use of satire as well as the criticisms leveled against him. Linden’s paper offers precisely the kind of historically contextualized, theoretically grounded, and critically astute analysis that characterizes the best German Studies scholarship and the committee congratulates Mr. Linden on his excellent work."

Graduate Student Essay Prize: Call for Nominations

2024 Prize Competition Announced

The prize for the Best Essay in German Studies by a Graduate Student will again be awarded in 2024. The deadline for nominations and submissions is 15 May 2024 . Papers should be 6,000-9,000 words in length (including foot-/endnotes). Manuscripts may be submitted in English or German, and must not have been published in any form or have been accepted for publication. The winner will be published in the German Studies Review .

Nominations, self-nominations, and submissions should be emailed to the committee chair via the link below.

• Rachel Halverson (University of Idaho, Chair)
• Brent Maner (Kansas State University)
• Klaus Mladek (Dartmouth College)

Questions may be directed to [email protected] .

Wylie Undergraduate Essay Prize

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Applications for the Wylie Undergraduate Essay Medal 2024 were welcomed on the topic  How does a 'well' workforce benefit patient safety?  Essays must be written by an undergraduate medical student at a university in Great Britain or Ireland. The overall winner will receive the Wylie Medal in memory of Dr W Derek Wylie, President of the Association 1980-82.

Applications were invited from medical students studying in Great Britain and Ireland (subject to confirmation of eligibility).

• All applicants should be the sole author of their essay.
• The word limit is 1,000 words (excluding references and headings).
• Some essays may be published online or in Anaesthesia News , depending on their suitability and at the discretion of the Association. All essay submissions will be subject to a plagiarism check and the results will be considered as part of the judging process.
• All submissions will be blinded to reviewers. Author names and contact information should not be included on the submitted essay.

Deadline for submission was 23:59 on Wednesday 7 February 2024.

Submitters will be informed of the outcome of their submission in early April 2024.

Miss Jade Miller and Miss Sarah-Louise Watson were jointly awarded the 2023 Wylie Undergraduate Essay Prize for their essays entitled  How can we address the gender gap in anaesthesia, as well as medicine in general? Both essays will be published in Anaesthesia News.

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Kilsby student essay competition

We are listening to the voice of the next generation of healthcare professionals..

The BHMA runs an annual student essay competition to broadcast the voice of the best and most innovative thinking from those about to embark on a career in healthcare. We want your fresh insight and opinion on how to transform the health service into a more compassionate and caring version of its current self.

Our title for 2024 (BHMA’s 40th Anniversary):

‘Holistic Healthcare in Action: Reflections on the Past, Directions for the Future’ 

Please use 2 or 3 examples to illustrate your answer.

Essay option:

Essay of 1000-1500 words.

Creative Inquiry option:

The assignment should be in the form of a creative text (please submit photographs/DVD/music file as appropriate) alongside a written reflection of up to 1000 words. Marks will be allocated in four categories: Impact, Perception, Aesthetics and Reflection.

Please complete the form below along with your submission

Deadline June 30th

FIRST PRIZE – Essay and Creative Enquiry

• Your essay published in our journal and online
• Ticket to our conference & awards reception
• Free membership to the BHMA or free journal subscription for 1 year
• Your essay published online

For just £17 per annum, your student membership enables you to access our entire online library of the Journal of Holistic Healthcare plus 10-20% discounts on selected events, courses and other membership packages.

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How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet? First Prize Essay

How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet first prize creative enquiry, previous winners & runners-up.

Note that we have recently started publishing winners and a few other choice essays as blog posts. These appear in the side bar above.

2023: Sayed Adam Bukhari , King’s College London, How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet?

2023: Felicity Smith , Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Arts and Crafts in Healthcare: What William Morris can Teach us About the Benefits of a Holistic Perspective for Practitioners, Patients and the Planet

2023: Kate Eustace , University College Dublin, How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet?

2023: Alton Ajay Mathew , Medical University of Lodz, How can a holistic perspective benefit practitioners, patients, and the planet?

2022: Jonathan De Oliveira , St. George’s, University of London ‘What is missing in our clinical education’?

2022: Karla Hamlet , Canterbury Christ Church University – Creative Enquiry ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’ – The Student Voice

2022: Hamaad Khan , University College London ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2022: Lucy Butterfield , University of Manchester – Creative Enquiry ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2022: Andrew Zhou , University of Cambridge – Creative Enquiry ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2022: Pervana Kaur , University of Karol Marnkowski ‘What is missing in our clinical education?’

2021: Deeya Kotecha , Cambridge ‘ How can holistic healthcare influence health inequalities ‘

2021: Jabin Chowdhury , Birmingham ‘ If holistic healthcare is the answer what is the question? A take on healthcare inequality ‘

2021: Annie McKirgan , Liverpool ‘ All Animals are Equal … Or are They? ‘

2020: Lauren Wheeler, Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine ‘Holistic lessons from a pandemic…prevention is better than cure’

2020: Isabel Allison, University of Birmingham ‘Holistic lessons from a pandemic’

2020: Megan, University of Southampton: ‘Holistic lessons from a pandemic: Does anyone have a spare pen?’

2020: Simran , University of Southampton ‘Holistic Lessons from a pandemic: ‘All Lives Can’t Truly Matter Until Black Lives Matter’ ‘

2019: Jessica Frost Birmingham Medical School Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food

2019: Aaron Morjaria King’s College, London Is food the foundation for good health?

2019: Josephine Elliot University College, London Is food the foundation for good health?

2018: Thomas Christie Templeton College, Oxford Social Prescribing – are drugs or people the better cure?

2017: Fiona Field Imperial College London Re-imagining healthcare – in partnership with nature

2017: James Bevan University of Southampton Re-imagining healthcare – in partnership with nature

2017: Maddie Leadon University of Cambridge Re-imagining healthcare – in partnership with nature

2016: Robbie Newman Imperial College London Are we medicalising human experience? A radical review

2016: Alice Redfern University of Oxford Are we medicalising human experience? A radical review

2016: Vinay Mandagere University of Bristol Diagnosis: Are we medicalising human experience? A radical review

2015 Julius Kremling Germany, Why connection matters: Understanding patients’ illness by understanding their reality

2015: Tamar Witztum University of Bristol, Resilience in holistic care: Learning from Alice Herz-Sommer

2015: Lucy Brenner Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Cultivating compassion – students to lead the way?

2015: Eleanor Tanner University of Birmingham The Star of Compassion

2014: Olivia Sjökvist University of Hull, Coping with your own vulnerability in caring for a person who has a long-term condition

2014: Laura Clapham King’s College, London Coping with your own vulnerability in caring for a person who has a long-term condition

2014: Chiara Catterwell-Sinkeldam, King’s College London Coping with your own vulnerability in caring for a person who has a long-term condition

2013 Kundan Iqbal The importance of holism in medical care today and ways this can be promoted

2012 Reanne Jones Tears of Joy, tears of sorrow

2011 Thea Collins 2030: What made the NHS sustainable?

2010 Jason Ferdjani Improving global well being, improving personal well being

2009 Krishna Steedhar Student’s health matters

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PhD candidate Daniela Zuzunaga Zegarra wins the 2024 Professor Frank Pearce Essay Prize

May 14, 2024

PhD candidate Daniela Zuzunaga Zegarra has won the 2024 Professor Frank Pearce Essay Prize, an award for graduate students who submit the best essay on the topic of radical critical theory and social justice.

Daniela’s paper, Racism in the Platformized Cultural Industries: Precarity, Visibility & Harassment, examines how racialized content creators experience racism multilaterally, which works to produce barriers that limit creators ability to materially gain, build meaningful narratives of belonging, and feel safe within these environments. 

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IOE Master’s student awarded the Harry Hodson Prize for essay on language preservation in Gibraltar

13 May 2024

Sophie Macdonald (Intercultural Communication MA) has been named a joint winner of the 2023 Harry Hodson Prize of The Round Table journal for her essay on Llanito, the local language variety of Gibraltar.

Her piece was titled ‘In defence of Llanito: Gibraltar in a state of linguistic transition’. 

Sophie's research interests lie in language endangerment, decolonisation and translingualism – stemming from a desire to protect Llanito from language loss in Gibraltar, her birthplace. 

Before her time at IOE, Sophie studied English at the University of Cambridge, where her dissertation explored the use of Llanito in Gibraltarian literature. 

Sophie’s essay will be published in a future issue of The Round Table. 

The Round Table was founded in 1910 and is the oldest English-language international affairs journal. It analyses and provides commentary on aspects of international affairs, including policy issues concerning the contemporary Commonwealth. 

The prize is named after Harry Hodson, the journal’s editor in the 1930s, and is awarded annually to candidates under 30 writing on any aspect of the Commonwealth.

We asked Sophie...

Your winning essay discusses llanito in gibraltarian literature, why did you choose to write about this can you talk about the significance of language endangerment / language loss in your research.

When I was studying towards my undergraduate (UG) degree in English at Cambridge, I came across a lot of South American literature and African literature, which uses a lot of local varieties as expressions of identity. Being from Gibraltar, I began to think about how Llanito, our own local variety, is used an identity marker in our literature. 

After researching this, which included interviewing politicians, I found there was increasing concern that Llanito is dying out among younger generations. From this, an interest in language loss and endangerment spurred and has been present in my research since!

Tell us about your field of study. What do you find interesting about it and what inspires you?

Intercultural Communication allows me to keep writing about Llanito and to help raise academic awareness about its loss. Efforts for language preservation inspire me, and it's been fascinating to study them and see how they could be applied to Gibraltar.

What did your journey to IOE look like, and why did you choose to study here? How has the experience developed your practice?

I chose to study here because of its rankings on the league tables and because London is such an exciting hub. IOE has helped to expose me to interesting new theories and practices and has changed my way of thinking about languages and Englishes.

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• More about the Harry Hodson prize

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Prizes for students

The RSM has numerous prizes and awards aimed at students. By submitting an application, you will have the chance to present at a meeting, add to your CV and open up more career opportunities.

Please note this page is updated regularly.

All submissions must be sent in by 11.59pm on the stated deadline date.

Generally prizes, awards or travel grants must be claimed before the end of the academic year in which they are gained (30 September).

For more information or help please contact [email protected]

General Practice with Primary Healthcare

John Fry prize

Deadline:   Thursday 1 August 2024

Open to:   Medical, nursing and allied healthcare students with an interest in general practice and primary care

CAIPE John Horder Team Award and John Horder Student Award

Deadline: Wednesday 31 July 2024

Open to: Individuals or teams working within the community who can demonstrate outstanding principles of collaborative working and the Student annual essay award offered to a student who has been involved with interprofessional learning or working, within the community.

Team Award prize:  Certificate of achievement and £600, Student Award prize:  Certificate of achievement and £150

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Dame Josephine Barnes Award

Deadline: Tuesday 1 August 2024 at 11:59pm

Open to: All medical undergraduate students

Prize: £100

BSHNI annual oral presentation

Submission deadline: Sunday 12 May 2024

Open to: All delegates. The presenting author should register for the meeting and  will receive a complimentary conference dinner invitation.

Paediatrics & Child Health Section: Overseas bursary

Deadline: Tuesday 28 May 2024

Open to:  RSM Paediatrics & Child Health Section members of all grades

Prize: C overs the registration fee plus a contribution of £500 towards travel and hotel costs

Students Section: Doubleday Prize

Submission Deadline: Friday 21 June 2024

Open to: Medical Students attending UK Medical Schools

Student section: Tomorrow's Doctors Conference Poster Prize 2024

Open to: Medical Students, entrants must register for the Tomorrow's Doctors Conference to be considered

Student section: Tomorrow's Doctors Conference Oral Presentations 2024

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What I’ve Learned From My Students’ College Essays

The genre is often maligned for being formulaic and melodramatic, but it’s more important than you think.

By Nell Freudenberger

Most high school seniors approach the college essay with dread. Either their upbringing hasn’t supplied them with several hundred words of adversity, or worse, they’re afraid that packaging the genuine trauma they’ve experienced is the only way to secure their future. The college counselor at the Brooklyn high school where I’m a writing tutor advises against trauma porn. “Keep it brief , ” she says, “and show how you rose above it.”

I started volunteering in New York City schools in my 20s, before I had kids of my own. At the time, I liked hanging out with teenagers, whom I sometimes had more interesting conversations with than I did my peers. Often I worked with students who spoke English as a second language or who used slang in their writing, and at first I was hung up on grammar. Should I correct any deviation from “standard English” to appeal to some Wizard of Oz behind the curtains of a college admissions office? Or should I encourage students to write the way they speak, in pursuit of an authentic voice, that most elusive of literary qualities?

In fact, I was missing the point. One of many lessons the students have taught me is to let the story dictate the voice of the essay. A few years ago, I worked with a boy who claimed to have nothing to write about. His life had been ordinary, he said; nothing had happened to him. I asked if he wanted to try writing about a family member, his favorite school subject, a summer job? He glanced at his phone, his posture and expression suggesting that he’d rather be anywhere but in front of a computer with me. “Hobbies?” I suggested, without much hope. He gave me a shy glance. “I like to box,” he said.

I’ve had this experience with reluctant writers again and again — when a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously. Of course the primary goal of a college essay is to help its author get an education that leads to a career. Changes in testing policies and financial aid have made applying to college more confusing than ever, but essays have remained basically the same. I would argue that they’re much more than an onerous task or rote exercise, and that unlike standardized tests they are infinitely variable and sometimes beautiful. College essays also provide an opportunity to learn precision, clarity and the process of working toward the truth through multiple revisions.

When a topic clicks with a student, an essay can unfurl spontaneously.

Even if writing doesn’t end up being fundamental to their future professions, students learn to choose language carefully and to be suspicious of the first words that come to mind. Especially now, as college students shoulder so much of the country’s ethical responsibility for war with their protest movement, essay writing teaches prospective students an increasingly urgent lesson: that choosing their own words over ready-made phrases is the only reliable way to ensure they’re thinking for themselves.

Teenagers are ideal writers for several reasons. They’re usually free of preconceptions about writing, and they tend not to use self-consciously ‘‘literary’’ language. They’re allergic to hypocrisy and are generally unfiltered: They overshare, ask personal questions and call you out for microaggressions as well as less egregious (but still mortifying) verbal errors, such as referring to weed as ‘‘pot.’’ Most important, they have yet to put down their best stories in a finished form.

I can imagine an essay taking a risk and distinguishing itself formally — a poem or a one-act play — but most kids use a more straightforward model: a hook followed by a narrative built around “small moments” that lead to a concluding lesson or aspiration for the future. I never get tired of working with students on these essays because each one is different, and the short, rigid form sometimes makes an emotional story even more powerful. Before I read Javier Zamora’s wrenching “Solito,” I worked with a student who had been transported by a coyote into the U.S. and was reunited with his mother in the parking lot of a big-box store. I don’t remember whether this essay focused on specific skills or coping mechanisms that he gained from his ordeal. I remember only the bliss of the parent-and-child reunion in that uninspiring setting. If I were making a case to an admissions officer, I would suggest that simply being able to convey that experience demonstrates the kind of resilience that any college should admire.

The essays that have stayed with me over the years don’t follow a pattern. There are some narratives on very predictable topics — living up to the expectations of immigrant parents, or suffering from depression in 2020 — that are moving because of the attention with which the student describes the experience. One girl determined to become an engineer while watching her father build furniture from scraps after work; a boy, grieving for his mother during lockdown, began taking pictures of the sky.

If, as Lorrie Moore said, “a short story is a love affair; a novel is a marriage,” what is a college essay? Every once in a while I sit down next to a student and start reading, and I have to suppress my excitement, because there on the Google Doc in front of me is a real writer’s voice. One of the first students I ever worked with wrote about falling in love with another girl in dance class, the absolute magic of watching her move and the terror in the conflict between her feelings and the instruction of her religious middle school. She made me think that college essays are less like love than limerence: one-sided, obsessive, idiosyncratic but profound, the first draft of the most personal story their writers will ever tell.

Nell Freudenberger’s novel “The Limits” was published by Knopf last month. She volunteers through the PEN America Writers in the Schools program.

Congratulations to the 2024 recipient of the Robert M. Solow Prize

MIT Economics alumni and faculty established the Robert M. Solow Prize for Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching and Research to celebrate graduate students who reflect one of the department's core values, as embodied by Robert Solow: the interdependence of innovative research and excellence in teaching.

Congratulations to recent PhD graduate  Viola Corradini  who has been awarded the 2024 Solow Prize for their remarkable contributions to the educational and research missions of MIT Economics.

May 14, 2024 Volume 70 Issue 34

From the interim president, provost, and senior evp: ending the encampment, $5.5 million national institutes of health grant to support chronic disease self-management among philadelphia residents, mitchell schnall: inaugural senior vice president for data and technology solutions for university of pennsylvania health system, tyshawn sorey: 2024 pulitzer prize for music, penn medicine signs national health sector climate pledge, penn medicine and the philadelphia union sponsor a community fridge, penn libraries announces new book prize in sustainability sponsored by the lynn family, wharton launches executive online education program strategies for accountable ai, joel conarroe, english, from the senate office: faculty senate executive committee special meeting actions, from the senate office: may 15, 2024 faculty senate executive meeting agenda.

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Faculty Senate Reports

Arielle xena alterwaite and katherine scahill: 2024 newcombe doctoral dissertation fellowship, sharon y. irving: vice president of aspen, brigitte keslinke: rome prize, valentina proust, taylor smith and azsaneé truss: james d. woods award, psom’s master’s and certificate program’s excellence in teaching awards and master’s student colloquium, kyle vining: hartwell foundation award, daniel a. wagner: fulbright award, joey wu: 2024 udall scholar, karen xu: 2024 p.e.o. scholar award, the state of university city 2024 report from the university city district, retirement information sessions in may, wxpn board meeting: may 22, update: may at penn, weekly crime reports, flexible spending accounts updates and reminders, call for papers: narratives of struggle and hope: ethnography, education, and democracy at a crossroads, spring 2025 stavros niarchos foundation (snf) paideia designated course proposals: requested by may 24, gapsa 2023-2024 annual report.

• May 14, 2024
• vol 70 issue 34

May 10, 2024

To the Penn Community,

We have worked with serious intention for nearly two weeks to engage the protestors on College Green, who were notified on April 26—the second day of the encampment—that they were in violation of Penn’s policies. This outreach has been met by unreasonable demands and a dangerous escalation of the encampment.

Our community has been under threat and our campus disrupted for too long. Passion for a cause cannot supersede the safety and operations of our University. Early this morning, we took action, with support from local law enforcement, to remove the encampment. We would like to express our gratitude to the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department for their support. This is an unfortunate but necessary step to prevent violence, restore operations, and return our campus to our community.

Under these extraordinary circumstances, and to provide for the safety of our community, access to the College Green area of campus will be restricted until further notice. Those wishing to enter the area will be required to show a valid PennCard. Those without proper identification will be asked to leave and, if necessary, will be escorted off campus, or considered trespassing.

The protestors refused repeatedly to disband the encampment, to produce identification, to stop threatening, loud, and discriminatory speech and behavior, and to comply with instructions from Penn administrators and Public Safety. Instead, they called for others to join them in escalating their disruptions and expanding their encampment, necessitating that we take action to protect the safety and rights of everyone in our community. We could not allow further disruption of our academic mission. We could not allow students to be prevented from accessing study spaces and resources, attending final exams, or participating in Commencement ceremonies, which for many did not happen during the pandemic.

University leaders met with representatives of the encampment on multiple occasions, for extended periods of time. We hoped that reasonable conversations could address both the concerns of protestors and the needs of the University. We made clear that their proposals were not possible, including their demands that participating students and faculty receive amnesty without proceeding through our due process for conduct and for divestment from entities engaged with Israel. Penn remains unequivocally opposed to divestment, and it is unlawful for institutions receiving funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

We also made clear that the encampment needed to disband and offered ways in which the protestors could continue their demonstration in compliance with our policies. We proposed, and still hope to deploy, Penn’s academic resources to support rebuilding and scholarly programs in Gaza, Israel, and other areas of the Middle East. Despite diligent efforts to find a path forward, the gap between the positions of many in the encampment and the University proved too wide to bridge in this volatile environment, while the risks to our community and our missions continued to increase.

This decision is viewpoint neutral and affirmed by our policies. There are times when our abiding commitment to open expression requires balancing free speech with our responsibility to safety, security, and continuing the operations of the University. This is one of those times and why we have acted. Open expression and peaceful protest are welcome on our campus, but vandalism, trespassing, disruption, and threatening language and actions are not.

—J. Larry Jameson, Interim President —John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost —Craig R. Carnaroli, Senior Executive Vice President

The Philadelphia Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL), funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has announced a new $5.5 million NIH grant focused on chronic disease self-management among Philadelphia residents. The project builds on a sustained strategic partnership between Penn Nursing, the Philly CEAL Community Advisory Coalition, and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO).

The strategic partnership includes a $3.2 million contribution to sustain and evaluate Philadelphia’s Community Health Worker (CHW) program over the next four years. This program offers personalized support to Philadelphia residents, aiding them with a wide range of psychosocial needs, such as wellness workshops, resource navigation, and scheduling medical appointments. Community health workers will receive training in the DECIDE intervention, which will enhance their skills in group-based chronic disease self-management. Additionally, by intertwining this effort with a structured research program, Philly CEAL aims to generate compelling data for local stakeholders and policymakers, advocating for continued investment and sustainability of the CHW program beyond the study’s conclusion. Together, Philly CEAL, CEO, and Penn Nursing are committed to nurturing a healthier, more resilient community through innovative practices, dedicated care, and a shared vision of equitable health access for all.

“Our long-standing partnership with the city was the foundation to the initial efforts of Philly CEAL—to engage the community to address COVID-19,” said Penn Nursing dean Antonia M. Villarruel. “We are pleased to expand our efforts to address an issue of concern to our communities, chronic illness management. Our collective efforts will bring needed infrastructure support to engage community health workers in this important work. This partnership and project afford great opportunities for our students and faculty at Penn Nursing and beyond.”

“Our collaboration with Penn Nursing and Philly CEAL has been integral in addressing urgent community health issues, from COVID-19 to various social determinants of health (SDoH),” said Orlando Rendon, executive director of CEO. “Together, we’re not just tackling challenges; we’re building a resilient foundation for the future of public health. This partnership exemplifies the city’s commitment to fostering innovative solutions and empowering our communities to thrive.”

Penn Nursing researchers from the department of family and community health are leading a groundbreaking study to improve chronic disease self-management and address the social drivers of health. This project, funded by NIH Community Engagement Alliance, takes a multipronged approach to chronic disease self-management. First, the study will enable community health workers to lead group sessions, equipping residents with the knowledge and skills to manage their cardiovascular health effectively. Second, the research team recognizes that factors like access to healthy food, safe housing, and stress management tools significantly influence health outcomes. They will partner with local organizations to develop solutions and bridge these gaps.

This project, co-led by Penn Nursing’s José Bauermeister, Antonia Villarruel, Carmen Alvarez, Stephen Bonett, and Ashley Clemmons from CEO, holds immense promise for promoting cardiovascular health equity in Philadelphia. By empowering residents and addressing the root causes of health disparities, Penn Nursing and CEO are paving the way for a healthier future for all.

Dr. Schnall will spearhead the health system’s efforts to understand new tools and approaches and determine how best to implement them across UPHS to improve the provider experience, boost health outcomes for patients, and drive efficiency across the health system.

“Penn Medicine is excited to seize emerging opportunities to use technology in ways that will transform the health care industry,” said UPHS CEO Kevin B. Mahoney. “Dr. Schnall is a talented and visionary leader who will help us draw on our institution’s longstanding culture of innovation and continuous learning in this new space and provide a road map for health systems across the nation.”

In his new role, Dr. Schnall will lead the offices of the chief information officer, chief medical information officer, and chief analytics officer. Together, they will analyze the clinical and business impact of innovations, and work to build on Penn Medicine’s success with tools for automating patient access, monitoring, and self-serve transactions.

During his two terms as chair of radiology, Dr. Schnall doubled both the size of the department and its research funding portfolio. He developed training programs and funding pathways for clinician-scientists in radiology, unified academic programs across UPHS’s Philadelphia hospitals, and created a single Penn Medicine radiology residency that has been named as the top radiology program in the nation. Dr. Schnall also developed a strong collaboration between the department’s community-based physicians and its academic programs. Additionally, he built a framework for “One Penn Medicine Radiology,” which he will continue to lead as he assumes his new role. He will continue to serve in a leadership role in the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group.

Dr. Schnall has a strong national reputation, having been elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine.

Presidential Assistant Professor of music Tyshawn Sorey, a multi-instrumentalist and composer who has performed around the world, won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Music for “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith).” The saxophone concerto was commissioned by the Lucerne Festival and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and premiered on March 16, 2023, at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Winners in this Pulitzer category are honored for “distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year.”

“Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith)”—which Mr. Sorey calls an “anti-concerto”—is dedicated to Mr. Smith, a trumpeter with whom Mr.  Sorey has performed and recorded. As Mr. Sorey himself described the concerto, “it is more about introversion than extroversion…the work unfolds slowly and quietly with beautiful, sustained harmonies and only slightly less sustained melodies introduced via the orchestra or intermittently by the saxophone soloist. This stately but understated work is a welcome respite from the chaos and intrusiveness of modern life.”

Mr. Sorey’s composition “Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)” was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music. That same year, he and Brooke O’Harra, a senior lecturer in creative writing at Penn, debuted a musical collaboration with percussion ensemble Yarn/Wire titled “Be Holding,” a multimedia adaptation of the book-length poem by Ross Gay about Julius Erving’s momentous sky hook dunk during the 1980 NBA Finals. Mr. Sorey was a 2018 United States Artists Fellow and a 2017 MacArthur Fellow. He has released 13 critically acclaimed recordings as a composer and bandleader, and has received support for his creative projects from the Jerome Foundation and the Shifting Foundation, among others.

In a public commitment to lead among healthcare organizations in reducing the industry’s outsized impact on climate change, Penn Medicine has signed an ambitious national pledge promising to significantly cut and, eventually, eliminate its carbon emissions.

The Health Sector Climate Pledge is a voluntary commitment by healthcare organizations to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Since it was created by the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2022, the pledge has been signed by more than 130 organizations representing nearly 1,000 hospitals, health centers, suppliers, insurers, and others. It constitutes a united effort against climate change by the healthcare sector, which is responsible for an estimated 8.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Signing the pledge is the latest part of Penn Medicine’s commitment to a wide-reaching goal articulated in the organization’s strategic plan: to become the most environmentally friendly healthcare organization in the nation. The health system is also part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan , which includes reaching 100 percent carbon neutrality by 2042—eight years ahead of the Health Sector Climate Pledge.

“Advancing sustainability is an investment in the future,” said Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “As an industry, healthcare has played a role in the changing climate. We’re taking a step back now to consider how to best deliver care while also balancing the ecological impact for the long-term health of our patients, the communities we serve, and the generations that will follow.”

Penn Medicine’s plan to fulfill the objectives of the national pledge involved a year-long assessment of the carbon emissions of the health system’s six hospitals and more than 150 properties. The “carbon baseline” report found that UPHS produces more than 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Efforts to halve that number by 2030—one of the goals of the pledge—are already underway. A significant step came in December 2023, when Great Cove Solar Energy Facilities, a massive solar array in Central Pennsylvania, began producing 220 megawatts of electricity each year. The energy, purchased by the University and the health system, will supply about 70 percent of the total electricity demand of the downtown Philadelphia university- and UPHS-owned properties. This renewable power purchase agreement is estimated to cut 50,000 metric tons from the health system’s carbon footprint annually.

Penn Medicine is also taking steps to reduce the carbon emissions generated by employees commuting to and from work. The health system offers employees discounted public transportation passes—costing $10, compared to the standard $96 for a monthly pass from SEPTA. Switching from driving to riding public transit can cut each employee’s annual carbon emissions by more than two tons. Electric vehicle charging stations are being added at the Princeton Medical Center campus to complement those already available on the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) campus.

The health system has also committed to ensuring that all new building projects are designed to incorporate recycled materials, integrate expansive greenery, use less water, use less energy, and qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver, or better, certification through the U.S. Green Building Council. In 2021, Penn Medicine’s newest hospital, the 1.5 million-square-foot Pavilion on the HUP campus, marked a healthcare first when it received the prestigious LEED Gold Building Certification for Sustainability.

In an effort to jointly target food insecurity to boost the health of the communities around them, Penn Medicine and Philadelphia Union have opened a community refrigerator, located at the Boys & Girls Club of Chester, Pennsylvania. The first project of its kind in Chester, the community refrigerator is accompanied by a deep freezer and pantry shelving to offer a variety of filling and nutritious foods.

“At Penn Medicine, our work has shown the importance of food access for the health of the wider community, and helping establish a program that makes gains in this area brings us great pride,” said Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. “Everything we do is with an eye toward the communities we serve, and it’s thrilling to have a partner like the Union that shares those priorities. We’re only in the first year of this partnership and already we’re working on projects to benefit the community. I’m excited for what the future holds and what our organizations can achieve together.”

“The Philadelphia Union remains committed to prioritizing our community’s well-being, and in doing so must address the on-going issue of food insecurity,” said Tim McDermott, president of Philadelphia Union. “Together with Penn Medicine, our collective focus on the health and wellness of the community is at the forefront, and we look forward to the ongoing efforts and impact our partnership brings.”

At the unveiling, the refrigerator was full of fresh items that included, grapes, avocados, tomatoes, raspberries, green beans, and oat milk. The pantry shelves held canned tomato sauce, dry pasta, and apple sauce, while the deep freezer chest sitting opposite the shelves held a variety of cuts of beef and steak.

The community refrigerator will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and available for anyone facing food insecurity. There is a no-questions-asked policy. The refrigerator and pantry shelves will continually be re-stocked weekly through deliveries by the non-profit, food donation facilitator Sharing Excess. The Union will supplement stock with partner donations and provide U-serve opportunities for volunteers to donate food and earn rewards. Additionally, Penn Medicine will conduct volunteer days with their staff to stock the pantry.

In addition to the fridge unveiling on May 4, members of the community attended a free farmers market, where they could collect produce and other essential products provided from Sharing Excess. Residents leaving games at the Boys & Girls Club’s gym with basketballs tucked at their hips grabbed fresh tomatoes and red peppers with their free hands. Other residents danced to a DJ’s music and played tailgate-style games.

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries have announced the launch of the Penn Libraries Book Prize in Sustainability, presented by the Lynn Family. This new annual award acknowledges outstanding contributions to the global discourse on environmental sustainability, with a specific focus on books that have a substantial impact on the public’s understanding of these crucial issues.

The winning author will receive an $8,000 cash prize and will present their award-winning research during a formal award ceremony on September 26, 2024.

“The Penn Libraries Book Prize in Sustainability is a call to action, encouraging authors and thinkers to contribute to the vital discourse on sustaining our planet for future generations,” said Brigitte Weinsteiger, interim director of the Penn Libraries and Gershwind & Bennett Family Senior Associate Vice Provost for Collections and Scholarly Communications. “In fostering a deeper public understanding of environmental sustainability, the Penn Libraries continues our tradition of advancing knowledge for the public good, echoing Penn’s broader mission to contribute to a better and more sustainable future for all.”  

Penn’s new strategic framework, In Principle and Practice , urges the Penn community to play a leading role in addressing the existential challenge of climate change, stating, “We must, in an all-in University effort, do more.” The framework notes that Penn will seek additional ways to fuel and support a variety of initiatives, including those that advance understanding and promise solutions.  

“As the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion loom large, the need for informed public discourse has never been greater,” said Michael E. Mann, director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability & the Media, and a Presidential Distinguished Professor in the department of Earth & environmental science and in the Annenberg School for Communication. “This prize seeks to elevate books that not only address these critical issues but also inspire actionable insights and solutions and elucidate the interconnectedness of economic progress, social equity, environmental stewardship, and sustainable development, thereby fostering a more informed and proactive global citizenry.”

Dr. Mann is one of five jurors representing academia, climate activism, and the private sector who will select finalists and, ultimately, the winner of the prize. Other jurors include Daniel Cohan of Rice University; Sara Cronenwett of Comcast; Genevieve Guenther of End Climate Silence and The New School; and Julie DiNatale of FMC; along with Brigitte Weinsteiger, ex officio.

All non-fiction books in English published between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023 are eligible for submission. Successful candidates for the award will focus on environmental sustainability, covering topics including but not limited to climate change, renewable energy, conservation strategies, sustainable agriculture, water resource management, and green technologies.  

Penn Libraries Board of Advisors member Haniel J. Lynn, ENG’91, WG’95, PAR’23, and his wife Anita Hsueh Lynn, ENG’91, PAR’23, generously provided funding to establish the book prize.

“Anita and I are very happy to support this initiative, which spotlights the vital work being done to address the urgent environmental issues of our time,” said Haniel Lynn. “Our hope is that the prize ignites dialogue and discussion and extends the impact of the winning book among researchers, policymakers, and the public.”  

The Penn Libraries began engaging publishers and encouraging submissions for the prize earlier this year, and submissions will be accepted through April 30, 2024. Nominations must be submitted directly by publishers, and each publisher may submit only one title for consideration. Publishers can view the full rules and details of the contest and submit a work for consideration through this form . 

It’s well established that artificial intelligence (AI) has changed and will continue changing the way we work. Yet with so many organizations rapidly adopting AI technologies, risks are growing as well, including well-known concerns such as bias, hallucinations, privacy and intellectual property issues, legal liability, and regulatory penalties. What are companies doing to prepare and protect themselves? Not enough, it appears. A recent BCG survey found that although 84 percent of executives believe responsible AI should be on top management agendas, only 25 percent have comprehensive programs in place.

“Everyone agrees that accountability has to be a part of what implementing AI means,” said Kevin Werbach, Wharton professor and department chairperson of legal studies and business ethics. “So, you’re either going to be one of the leaders in doing AI governance, or you’re going to get pulled along by regulation or catching up to your competitors.”

Mr. Werbach, alongside Wharton’s thought-leading AI faculty, will help executives get ahead of the curve in the new Wharton Executive Education program, Strategies for Accountable AI . Mr. Werbach serves as academic director, accompanied by faculty experts from the renowned research center AI at Wharton. The live online program will run October 16–December 18, 2024.

Strategies for Accountable AI offers participants a real-world, up-to-the-minute roadmap for effective AI oversight, empowering them to build, monitor, and maintain accountable AI solutions. Participants will explore the legal, ethical, and business controversies posed by AI; acquire techniques to mitigate AI risks; discover how fast-changing laws and enforcement across the globe could affect their business; assess their own organization’s responsible AI readiness; and more. The program helps executives win a competitive advantage as they discover how to protect their firm and its reputation while leveraging AI for business success.

The program’s format enables participants’ exposure to Wharton’s up-to-the minute research and teaching about the subject with direct interaction with the faculty via weekly, 90-minute, flipped-classroom, live online sessions. The learning is interspersed with self-paced online video segments and activities. Moreover, participants will engage in team collaboration, case studies, and a capstone project.

The program’s live online sessions will be led by prominent Wharton faculty and AI thought leaders including Kevin Werbach (academic director), Ethan Mollick, Stefano Puntoni, Scott Snyder, Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe, and Lynn Wu. Participants will also get program-exclusive perspectives of industry experts including top responsible AI executives, ethicists, investors, and government officials, among others.

Executives in all industries who are considering, adopting, evaluating, or expanding AI systems will benefit from this program. So will entrepreneurs working in the AI space, as well as developers and marketers seeking a better grasp of AI’s risks and how to mitigate them. The program is also valuable for those working in legal and compliance groups, although Mr. Werbach noted that implementing responsible AI is by no means limited to the general counsel’s office: “People who are actually managing AI projects need to understand this broader set of issues.”

Strategies for Accountable AI is now accepting applications. Prospective participants can learn more and apply at executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu . 

Dr. Conarroe was a 1956 honors graduate of Davidson College. He then earned a master’s degree from Cornell University a year later. He joined Penn’s faculty as an instructor in English in Penn’s Faculty of Arts & Sciences (now SAS) in 1964 and was promoted to assistant professor in 1966. In his first decade at Penn, he helped restructure the undergraduate English curriculum and was named the department’s undergraduate chair in 1970, a role he held for three years. As a special assistant to then-Vice Provost Leo Levin, he was also active in involving faculty in undergraduate life, and in 1968, he won the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. While teaching at Penn, Dr. Conarroe earned a PhD from New York University in 1966. In 1971, Dr. Conarroe was promoted to associate professor.

Also in 1971, then-Penn president Martin Myerson named Dr. Conarroe Penn’s first ombudsman ( Almanac July 15, 1971 ), a newly created role. According to faculty senate chair Henry Abraham, Dr. Conarroe “plunged into the manifold tasks of his two-year tenure with élan and imagination.” In reports he wrote for Almanac ( December 21, 1971 , October 3, 1972 , September 4, 1973 ), he expounded poetically about the joys of meeting a wide swath of faculty, staff, and students from across the University and helping them resolve issues. Dr. Conarroe ceded his position as ombudsman in 1973, returning to teaching in English and to his academic work, which included writing biographies of poets and compiling anthologies of their works. His books included William Carlos Williams’ Paterson: Language and Landscape (1970), John Berryman: An Introduction to the Poetry (1977), and, as editor, the collections Six American Poets: An Anthology (1993) and Eight American Poets: An Anthology (1997). During his time at Penn, he received several fellowships to support his work, serving as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Cornell Junior Fellow, and Danforth Foundation Fellow.In 1977, he was promoted to a full professor at Penn, and during the late 1970s, he also served as the faculty master of Van Pelt College House.

Dr. Conarroe spent 1978 to 1983 on leave from Penn as executive director of the Modern Language Association (MLA), the influential scholarly organization founded in 1883. At the MLA, he edited the influential PMLA Journal and acted as a spokesman for the humanities in the U.S. and abroad, in part as a member of the ACLS-Soviet Academy of Sciences Commission on the Humanities and Sciences. He led an MLA delegation to Moscow for a symposium on Walt Whitman at the Gorky Institute for World Literature. During this era, he also spent four summers at the Yaddo writers’ colony and served as vice president of the National Book Critics Circle.

In 1982, Penn enticed Dr. Conarroe to return as dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science ( Almanac November 30, 1982 ) and as the Thomas S. Gates Professor. As dean, he produced the second-highest yearly fundraising total for the school, which helped fund the Mellon program to develop fresh graduate curricular options, the biology department’s plant sciences initiative, and the Center for Early American Studies. Dr. Conarroe also oversaw the founding of SAS and Wharton’s Lauder Institute, the expansion of the Writing Across the Curriculum initiative, and the formation of SAS’s External Affairs Office, which managed development and fundraising. In 1984, Dr. Conarroe resigned from the deanship ( Almanac November 13, 1984 ).

Five months later, Dr. Conarroe was named the third president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, a position he held until 2002. As president of the Guggenheim Foundation, he was deeply devoted to the foundation’s mission and worked tirelessly to increase the size of Guggenheim Fellowships (one of which he had received himself in 1977). “He was attuned to changing cultural mores—the twists and turns in dozens of academic and artistic fields—while dealing with the financial challenges and working to raise the amount of fellowships so that people could do their own work,” said Edward Hirsch, the current president of the foundation. Dr. Conarroe was also a trustee of the foundation from 1985 to 2016. While president of the foundation, Dr. Conarroe received honorary degrees from Davidson College, Rhodes College, University Maryland, and Tulane University. He also was a former president of the PEN America Center, chaired the National Book Awards in 1988, served on the Pulitzer Prize Fiction Jury in 1989, and sat on the National Book Foundation from 1991-1994.

Dr. Conarroe is survived by his nephews, Ron, Richard, and Michael Conarroe; a niece, Betty Johnson; and a sister, Harriet.

The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives.  Please communicate your comments to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, by email at  [email protected] .

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Special Meeting Actions

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Faculty Senate Chair Tulia Falleti   announced a special meeting of SEC by email on Thursday, May 2, to be held on Thursday, May 9, and a meeting agenda was placed in  Almanac  on May 7, 2024. 

Discussion of Current Events on Campus and Resolution Proposals Received.  SEC members discussed the ongoing “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on College Green, sharing information about the status of the encampment, communications that have occurred between University administration and those participating in the encampment, and SEC members’ and their constituencies’ perspectives on next steps that should be taken in reaction to the situation.

A motion was made and seconded on whether SEC should consider passing a resolution in any form in response to the encampment. A quorum of 35 voting members was recognized, and a vote was conducted. By a vote of 12 in favor, 16 opposed, and 7 not voting, the motion did not pass, and discussion regarding passing a resolution ceased.

The May 15, 2024 Faculty Senate Executive Meeting Agenda was revised on May 13 following the resignation of Tulia Falleti as Chair of the Faculty Senate on May 10.

To read the revised agenda, visit https://almanac.upenn.edu/volume-70-number-33#from-the-senate-office-faculty-senate-executive-committee-agenda-v70-n33 .

Read the 2023-2024  Faculty Senate Reports .

Two PhD candidates in the School of Arts & Sciences have been named to the 2024 class of the Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, administered by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars.

The Newcombe Fellowship, funded by the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, is the largest and most prestigious award for PhD candidates in the humanities and social sciences addressing questions of ethical and religious values in interesting, original, or significant ways. Fellows receive a 12-month award of $31,000 to support the final year of dissertation writing.

Arielle Xena Alterwaite, a PhD candidate in the department of history, and Katherine Scahill, a PhD candidate in the department of music, were named as 2024 fellows. 

Ms. Alterwaite’s research explores Haiti’s sovereign debt in the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution in her dissertation, “Empire of Debt: Haiti and France in the Nineteenth-Century Atlantic World.”

Ms. Scahill’s dissertation, “The Gendered Politics of Religious Authority in Thai Buddhism: Voice, Embodiment, and Sonic Efficacy in the Movement for Female Monastic Ordination,” is based upon ethnographic fieldwork with three communities of female Buddhist monks (bhikkhunīs) in Thailand. Drawing on the fields of religious studies and music studies, Ms. Scahill’s dissertation investigates the sonic practices bhikkhunīs employ to establish alternate channels of recognition, given that women’s ordination is not accepted at a national level.

Funding at the dissertation stage remains a vital way to support up-and-coming scholars. Since its creation in 1981, the fellowship has supported more than 1,300 doctoral candidates with essential time and resources to complete their writing. Newcombe Fellows have gone on to be noted faculty at domestic and foreign institutions, leaders in their fields of study, Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, and more.

Founded in 1976, ASPEN is a multi-professional, interdisciplinary professional organization whose members are involved in the research and provision of clinical nutrition therapies across the lifespan. With members from around the world, ASPEN is a community of dietitians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, scientists, students, and other health professionals from every facet of nutrition support clinical practice, research, and education. Currently, there are 5,500 members in ASPEN.

The vice president of ASPEN has responsibility for monitoring progress in the implementation and updating of the society’s strategic plan. In the absence of the president or the president-elect, or in the event of their inability or refusal to act, the vice president performs the duties of the president. As vice president, Dr. Irving will automatically succeed to the office of president-elect (2025), then president (2026), then immediate past president (2027). Her term on the board will end on May 30, 2028.

“We are incredibly lucky and grateful for Dr. Irving’s guidance and leadership,” noted Wanda Johnson, CEO of ASPEN. “Her vast experience as a nurse practitioner and educator and her unwavering dedication to enhancing patients’ lives provides a unique perspective that will be extremely valuable in ASPEN’s mission to widen and increase our influence as an interprofessional organization.” 

The American Academy in Rome has named Brigitte Keslinke, a PhD candidate in the art and archaeology of the Mediterranean world graduate group at Penn, among 31 winners out of 1,100 applications. Ms. Keslinke’s proposal, “The Making of a Meal: Commensality in the Cult of Mithras,” was awarded the Samuel H. Kress Foundation/Donald and Maria Cox Rome Prize in the category of ancient studies. 

The prize includes a stipend, workspace, and room and board for five to ten months at the academy’s campus in Rome, starting this September. Rome Prize winners are selected annually by juries of distinguished artists and scholars through a national competition.

Annenberg School for Communication doctoral students Valentina Proust, Taylor Smith and Azsaneé Truss have been named co-recipients of the 2024 James D. Woods Award. Named in memory of Annenberg graduate student James D. Woods, the award is given to outstanding graduate teaching assistants.

Valentina Proust was nominated for the award by senior lecturer Kim Woolf for her work as a teaching fellow for Dr. Woolf’s class COMM 2250: Children and Media. Dr. Woolf praised Ms. Proust’s exceptional organizational skills, detailed and constructive feedback to students, and creative teaching style. “Valentina’s guest lecture on gender and media was exceptional,” Dr. Woolf said. “She listened carefully to students’ thoughts regarding the material and handled questions confidently.” Ms. Proust studies collective memory and identity as tools to challenge dominant narratives around gender issues within the Global South.

Taylor Smith was also nominated by Dr. Woolf for her work as a teaching fellow for COMM 2250. Dr. Woolf commended Ms. Smith’s dedication to helping students during office hours, her constructive feedback, and her clear and engaging teaching. “What makes Taylor stand out as a teacher is her commitment to her students and her ability to empathize with the undergraduates while continuing to challenge them,” Dr. Woolf said. “At least two students mentioned to me that meeting with Taylor enabled them to better understand the material and apply both developmental and media theory to content.” In her own research, Ms. Smith explores Black women’s unique contributions to Black textual and visual literacies. 

As a teaching fellow for COMM 2640: “Media Culture & Society in Contemporary China,” doctoral candidate Azsaneé Truss’s rapport with students, enthusiasm, and dedication to teaching earned her a nomination from professor Guobin Yang. “It was a big class with 75 enrolled students,” Dr. Yang said. “Azsaneé always came to class with infectious energy and very soon became beloved by the students. I would count Azsaneé as one of the top teaching fellows I have had in my decade of teaching at Penn.” Ms. Truss’s research focuses on Black feminism and how it connects with different forms of expression, drawing from fields like cultural studies, performance studies, critical media studies, and Black studies.

Ms. Proust, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Truss will receive the award at Annenberg’s PhD/MA graduation ceremony on May 20.

Emma Meagher, associate dean for the PSOM master’s & certificate (MaC) programs, delivered opening remarks and announced the awardees for student poster presentations and the teaching awards. Dr. Meagher then introduced Carl June, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine, who is one of the pioneers of CAR T-cell immunotherapy, as the keynote speaker. The two discussed Dr. June’s career journey and his insights from his historic work in the form of a fireside chat. To conclude the event, master’s students then gathered in Smilow Commons for a poster presentation session.  

The 2024 Excellence in Teaching awardees are:

• Rafe McBeth, assistant professor of clinical radiation oncology, Master of Science in Medical Physics Program
• Laura Conway, associate director, Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program
• Marilyn Schapira, professor of medicine, Master of Science in Health Policy Research Program

More information, including poster presentation awardees and an event recording can be found on the colloquium website .

Each year, the Hartwell Foundation invites a select group of biomedical research institutions to nominate faculty for its highly competitive awards, which provide significant financial support for three years, specifically for early-stage, innovative, and cutting-edge biomedical research that has not yet received outside funding. Research proposals must focus on improving the lives of children in the United States.

To date, cellular immunotherapy has shown great promise in treating childhood leukemia by engineering immune cells to target cancerous tissue. However, many patients suffer relapses and require additional treatments, risking serious side effects. One reason that some children do not respond to immunotherapy or relapse after treatment may be changes in their bone marrow itself. Dr. Vining’s team recently identified fibrotic tissue—that is, tissue that has hardened or scarred—in the bone marrow of such children. With the support of the Hartwell Foundation, Dr. Vining’s lab will undertake two research projects to investigate whether structural changes in these children’s bone marrow is suppressing the effectiveness of immunotherapies.

Dr. Wagner’s selection recognizes his notable academic and professional contributions, along with his ability to drive long-term collaboration between international institutions. His project aligns with the Fulbright Program’s mission to create enduring global connections through educational exchanges that benefit communities in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Wu, who is studying bioengineering and environmental science in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research, has been named a 2024 Udall Scholar by the Udall Foundation. Scholars, who receive as much as $7,000 each, are recognized for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to the environment or to Native American nations. Mr. Wu is the 10th student from Penn to be named a Udall Scholar since Congress established the foundation in 1992.

Mr. Wu is the founder and international director of Waterroots, a nonprofit environmental education project that uses climate storytelling to combat water insecurity in more than 20 countries. He is also a researcher in Penn Engineering’s McBride Lab, where he works as a plant specialist for a project that promotes environmental stability and sustainable agriculture.

The P.E.O. Scholar Awards were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. P.E.O. Scholar Awards recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.

The P.E.O., founded January 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with nearly a quarter of a million active members.

Spotlight on University City: University City is the region’s leader in education, science, and innovation. The 2.4 square mile neighborhood boasts world-class institutions that have catalyzed nearly 80,000 jobs in fields including medicine, higher education, technology, real estate, and hospitality. University City is a destination for culture seekers and food lovers, a transportation hub with some of the most bicycle-and pedestrian friendly streets in the city, and is home to some of the most significant development projects and life sciences breakthroughs in the region. With diverse demographics, a blend of housing and rental options, top-notch schools and hospitals, and amenities galore, University City is one of Greater Philadelphia’s neighborhoods of choice.

Real Estate Development: In a time of flux for real estate developers across the country due to high interest rates, increased construction and land costs, and a lack of debt capital, University City continues to persevere, due in large part to the ongoing demand for life science office and laboratory spaces. University City is on pace to reach a projected 2.525 million square feet of new development valued at over $710 million, both record highs for the neighborhood. Progress on major residential, institutional, public space, and mixed-use projects marked another busy year of groundbreakings, topping outs, and ribbon cuttings in the neighborhood. In the past year, significant progress has been made on three major long-term projects: uCity Square; Schuylkill Yards; and the 30th Street Master Plan. Other key developments, including the next phase of expansion of the Provident Building campus at 4601 Market Street, the new headquarters for Spark Therapeutics at 3001 Chestnut, and over 4,000 units of multi-family housing planned to arrive by 2027, point toward University City’s continued growth, with an additional 2.77 million square feet in the pipeline expected to be completed in 2024.

Employment: New development, institutional expansions, and a burgeoning life sciences scene contribute to University City’s continued status as a top regional employment hub. In 2023, over 18,000 jobs from our neighborhood’s main employers were posted. More than 70% of University City’s 78,000+ jobs pay over $40,000 a year, compared to just under 60% for Philadelphia as a whole. University City accounts for approximately 11% of all jobs within Philadelphia, despite representing only 1.69% of the city’s total footprint. A large percentage of jobs are found at the local hospitals and universities, but growth associated with nascent technology firms and commercialization of research is also creating more employment opportunities at every rung of the career ladder. Leaders at the local, regional, and national level are taking note of the existing jobs and those on the horizon, and are actively working to invest in and accelerate our status as a regional leader in life sciences and biotech, including the newly created Keystone LifeSci Collaborative resulting from a U.S. Economic Development Administration Good Jobs Challenge grant.

Office: University City is home to ample office and lab space. Since 2000, over 4.5 million square feet of office space has been developed within our neighborhood. Recently, developers have altered their priorities when creating new inventory as a reaction to shifting workplace conditions in a post-COVID world, and new projects instead seek to add to the 3.3 million square feet of lab space instead of traditional offices. The asking lease rate in 2023 increased more than 19% over last year’s figure to $58.71 per square foot, the highest rate among regional submarkets. Coupled with the region’s 4th lowest vacancy rate of 15.40%, our accelerating life sciences and technology sector is spurring continued investment that can be felt through the city and beyond.

Higher Education: True to its name, University City offers top options in the region and nation for undergraduate and graduate studies. Over 50,000 students are enrolled in the neighborhood’s institutions of higher education, and whether they’re coming from around the city or around the world, scholars are drawn to the proximity to employment opportunities, the beautiful urban campuses, and the vitality of the surrounding community. Both the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University fared well in recent U.S. News & World Report rankings, with Penn ranked the 6th best national university and the top business program in the country, while Drexel excelled in similar lists for most innovative schools (#18) and finished #2 for its co-ops and internships.

Healthcare: The neighborhood’s medical institutions—Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center—combine to account for over 40% of all jobs in University City, making them an essential component of the local economy. Both CHOP and HUP receive annual accolades for quality of care and as top national workplaces: in the 2023 U.S. News and World Report rankings of hospitals, CHOP finished #4 for top national hospitals for children, while HUP was nationally ranked in 11 adult specialties. Both hospitals landed on Forbes’ list of best large employers for 2023, with Penn Medicine placing at #30 on the list. Our local hospitals are also leading the way in new treatments, procedures, and medical technologies, and with the forthcoming arrival of the Children’s Hospital New Patient Tower and Schuylkill Avenue Research Building, there are more on the horizon.

Innovation: University City is a nationally recognized hub for advances in science, research, and medicine. Cutting-edge innovations originate out of 3.3 million square feet of lab space in research hubs including the Wistar Institute, Pennovation, Drexel’s ic@3401, uCity Square, and Schuylkill Yards. This confluence of labs, benches, and clinics contributed to Philadelphia ranking at #6 in top U.S. metros for life sciences research talent according to CBRE. Discoveries initiated in University City spark billions of dollars in economic growth and attract international attention in fields like biotech, robotics, and medicine. In 2023, 225 patents were issued to University City businesses and institutions, which also accounted for $990 million in NIH funding and over $30 billion in cumulative R&D spending. Since 2021, over 675 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were administered in the United States using messenger RNA delivery, a process developed in 2005 by Penn researchers Dr. Katalin Karikó and Dr. Drew Weissman, who were honored with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Transportation: Need to get around the neighborhood? You’re in luck. University City boasts excellent options for bicyclists, pedestrians, and commuters using public transit, earning Walkscore.com’s “paradise” status for all three modes of transportation. It’s no surprise, then, that 84% of neighborhood residents also work in University City. In 2023, the Streets Department and PennDOT completed a major repaving project of Walnut Street from 33rd to 63rd Streets to create safer crossings at intersections, to provide traffic calming, and to install parking-separated bike lanes. As more employees return to the office, University City boasts a network of light rail, bus routes, and protected bike lanes to support them, and in 2023, Amtrak reported 4.2 million riders at William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, or 93% of the pre-pandemic high in 2019.

People: University City is home to a diverse and growing cross-section of residents. Following a dip in 2020 due to COVID, our population has surpassed 55,000 residents for the first time ever, and with a forthcoming increase in housing options—4,200 units of multi-family housing expected by 2026—this surge will likely continue. Our residents skew young (median age of 27.6), educated (25.2% possess a bachelor’s degree or higher), and ethnically diverse, with nearly 19% of residents born outside of the United States and 24% of households speaking non-English languages within their homes. Our dynamic neighborhood, rich in medical and educational institutions, led to 12% of residents moving here from another state, compared to 3% citywide.

Life in the Neighborhood: How do you define a great place to live? For University City, it’s fantastic amenities, an excellent dining scene, diverse housing options, world-class transit, parks and public spaces aplenty, and communities with distinct and unique personalities. 

Schuylkill Yards: Currently rising in University City, Schuylkill Yards is the $3.5 billion master-planned neighborhood being developed by Brandywine Realty Trust in partnership with Drexel University. Beginning with the development of Cira Centre in 2005, Schuylkill Yards continues today along the Schuylkill riverfront. Schuylkill Yards is a new nexus of knowledge and innovation within the top life science hub of Philadelphia—a 14-acre neighborhood that features striking architecture, 6.5 acres of public greenspace, 70,000 square feet of dynamic retail and entertainment options, 3.9 million square feet of world-class life science and workspace, and 1.5 million square feet of living space. Drexel Square, the first of Schuylkill Yards’ 6.5 acres of planned green spaces, opened to the public in June 2019. The 1.3-acre park features a 12,000-square-foot elliptical lawn, 23 Dawn Redwood trees, and an array of shrubs and perennials in over 9,000 square feet of raised planted beds.

In August 2019, Brandywine unveiled architectural designs for the east and west towers at Schuylkill Yards. Designed to complement one another, the towers artfully merge inspiration from historic building materials with modern architecture and are linked by High Line Park, a welcoming, publicly accessible destination for intimate programmed events, relaxation, collaboration, and community enjoyment.

As Philadelphia continues to grow as one of the leading life science clusters in the nation, Schuylkill Yards solidifies its place as the ecosystem’s heart. Here, directly adjacent to Amtrak’s 30th Street Station, Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania, Brandywine is building a connection point to world-class healthcare and academic institutions, top-tier talent, and readily available investment capital.

For the full report, visit https://issuu.com/universitycity/docs/the_state_of_university_city_2024 . 

—University City District

Ready to spring into retirement? To help you prepare for the next phase of your life, Penn will host the next series of Thinking About Retirement presentations on Wednesday, May 29 in Houston Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thinking About Retirement offers three different concurrent sessions specially designed for Penn staff and faculty. Each 90-minute presentation covers an important aspect of retirement benefits: Penn Benefits & Medicare , 5 Steps to Creating Your Retirement Income Plan , and Social Security Benefits Planning .

At the Penn Benefits & Medicare session, representatives from Health Advocate and benefits specialists from Human Resources will explain the Rule of 75 , retiree healthcare options, and how they integrate with Medicare.

During the 5 Steps to Creating your Retirement Income Plan session, a TIAA retirement plan counselor will discuss such topics as budgeting in retirement, income options, and investments to help you get the most out of your 403(b) plan.

The Social Security Benefits Planning session, led by a TIAA representative, provides valuable details about how this program impacts your plans for retirement. You will also get an overview of Social Security benefits, eligibility rules, how to apply, benefits for your spouse, and more.

Benefits specialists from Penn Human Resources will be available throughout the event to answer your questions about Penn’s retirement savings plans, healthcare benefits, and other aspects of retiree benefits for you and your dependents.

To register for the presentations, click on the session times in the table below or visit www.hr.upenn.edu/thinkretirement .

Thinking About Retirement, May 29, 2024 Sessions

For more information about retirement, visit the Retiree Benefits webpage . 

An open session of the WXPN Policy Board will meet Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at noon at WXPN. For more information, email  [email protected]  or call (215) 898-0628 during business hours. 

18         Weitzman School 2024 Year End Show ; brings together work from the Class of 2024 in architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, historic preservation, urban spatial analytics, and fine arts; Meyerson Hall. Through June 14 .

Fitness & Learning

16         Executive Program in Design for Sustainability Info Session: Meet XDS Students ; meet current students and instructors and learn how to register at a 30% discount; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/xds-info-session-may-16 (XDS).

17         (deep) listening: Resonance ; features poet and musician Moor Mother with a supporting performance by Delish (featuring exclusive new material) & interstitial sets by DJ Precolumbian; 7 p.m.; Institute of Contemporary Art; register: https://tinyurl.com/deep-listening-may-17 (ICA).

Special Events

18         Penn Women's Center 50th Anniversary Celebration ; help commemorate a half-century of empowerment, advocacy, and community; 2:30-4:30 p.m.; room TBA; the ARCH; register: https://tinyurl.com/pwc-50-may-18 (Penn Women’s Center).

15         Inequities in Severe Maternal and Neonatal Morbidities ; Stephanie Leonard, Stanford University; 9 a.m.; room 701, Blockley Hall, and Zoom webinar; register: https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/96442998641 (Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics).

            Computational FSI Modeling of the Cardiovascular System ; Ryan T. Black, mechanical engineering & applied mechanics; 2 p.m.; room 212, Moore Building (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

16         Uncovering COPD Subtypes Via Multimodal Immunoprofiling ; Leigh Marsh, Medical University of Graz; Regulation of Smooth Muscle Cell State Through Heterotypic Cell Signaling ; Slaven Crnkovic, University of Graz; 4 p.m.; room 12-146, Smilow Center (Penn-CHOP Lung Biology Institute).

21         Leveraging Implementation Science to Improve Supports for Students ; Abigail Gray, TRAILS; 11 a.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/gray-talk-may-21 (Penn Implementation Science Center).

This is an update to the May AT PENN calendar , which is online now. To submit events for upcoming AT PENN calendars or weekly updates, email us at [email protected] .

Division of Public Safety University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are the Crimes Against Persons and/or Crimes Against Property from the campus report for April 29-May 5, 2024 . The Crime Reports are available at: https://almanac.upenn.edu/sections/crimes . Prior weeks’ reports are also online. –Eds.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety (DPS) and contains all criminal incidents reported and made known to the Penn Police, including those reported to the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) that occurred within our patrol zone, for the dates of April 29-May 5, 2024 . The Penn Police actively patrol from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30 th Street to 43 rd Street in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police.

In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call DPS at (215) 898-7297. You may view the daily crime log on the DPS website .

Penn Police Patrol Zone Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30 th Street to 43 rd Street

Philadelphia Police 18th District Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 12 incidents were reported for April 29-May 5, 2024 by the 18 th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

The Division of Public Safety offers resources and support to the Penn community. DPS developed a few helpful risk reduction strategies outlined below. Know that it is never the fault of the person impacted (victim/survivor) by crime.

• See something concerning? Connect with Penn Public Safety 24/7 at (215) -573-3333.
• Worried about a friend’s or colleague’s mental or physical health? Get 24/7 connection to appropriate resources at (215) 898-HELP (4357).
• Seeking support after experiencing a crime? Call Special Services - Support and Advocacy resources at (215) 898-4481 or email an advocate at [email protected]
• Use the Walking Escort and Riding services available to you free of charge.
• Take a moment to update your cellphone information for the UPennAlert Emergency Notification System
• Download the Penn Guardian App which can help Police better find your location when you call in an emergency.
• Access free self-empowerment and defense courses through Penn DPS.
• Stay alert and reduce distractions; using cellphones, ear buds, etc. may limit your awareness.
• Orient yourself to your surroundings. (Identify your location, nearby exits, etc.)
• Keep your valuables out of sight and only carry necessary documents.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are tax-advantaged accounts that let you use pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible healthcare and dependent care expenses. Using FSAs can save money, however the amount of unused dollars that will roll over—or stay in your account from one plan year to the next—is limited. If you currently have an FSA or you plan to add one to your benefits for 2024-2025, carefully consider your contribution for the new plan year.

Health Care FSA

If you have a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA), you will be able to roll over up to $610 of all unused funds from the 2023-2024 plan year to the 2024-2025 plan year. All unused funds over the $610 limit will be forfeited. The maximum amount you can contribute to the Health Care FSA is increasing from $3,050 to $3,200. The rollover amount will also increase from $610 to $640.

You must incur all expenses between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Claims must be submitted by September 30, 2025. All rollover funds will be available in November.

Dependent Care FSA

You must use all available funds by the end of the plan year deadline, or you will forfeit any remaining balance. You have until September 15 of the following plan year to incur expenses, and until September 30 of the following plan year to submit eligible claims.

For example, if you enroll in a Dependent Care FSA during the 2024-2025 plan year, you’ll have until September 15, 2025 to incur expenses and until September 30, 2025 to submit eligible expenses for reimbursement.

Visit the Flexible Spending Accounts webpage for more FSA details and single-sign-on access to WageWorks/HealthEquity.

—Division of Human Resources

The University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education will host the 2025 Ethnography in Education Research Forum February 7-8, 2025. The topic of the conference is Narratives of Struggle and Hope: Ethnography, Education, and Democracy at a Crossroads. For the conference, the Ethnography in Education Research Forum invites scholars and researchers to submit their qualitative and ethnographic inquiries that interrogate the connection between democracy and education, particularly in uncertain or precarious times. The call for papers seeks to explore the nuanced ways in which educators and educational institutions, broadly defined, may serve as sites for democratic struggle, hope, or something in between.

The conference will discuss the politicized times we live in. The last decade has come to be marked by global crises, political divisions, and economic insecurity, and the approaching 2024 presidential election holds the potential to redress or exacerbate these tensions. As we anticipate the political landscape unfolding, a wide and growing array of issues pose challenges for educators, schools, families, and scholars as they seek to understand and navigate an evolving landscape.

Submissions are encouraged that delve into the multifaceted dimensions of uncertainty, revealing how complex human beings acquiesce, ignore, resist, or challenge their political worlds. Ethnographers, practitioners, students, and scholars are therefore invited to illuminate how university campuses, K-12 schools, and community spaces become dynamic arenas for the negotiation of democratic values, where societal uncertainties are woven into the daily experiences of students, educators, and administrators.

This call for papers goes out to scholars who aim to foster a rich dialogue on schools as (potentially) democratic spaces in uncertain times, challenging researchers to rethink and redefine the boundaries of their ethnographic practice to capture the essence of democratic education in the face of uncertainty.

Papers will be accepted through June 1, 2024. For more information, including submission guidelines, visit https://2025forum.dryfta.com .

SNF Paideia designated courses examine the theory and practice of dialogue across differences from diverse disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. They also explore the interplay among dialogue, citizenship, service, as well as individual and community wellness. Collectively, they are intended to provide students with the scholarly and applied knowledge, skills, ethical orientations, and experiences necessary for integrating their personal, professional, and civic identities—that is, for “educating the whole person.”

Courses are rostered by academic departments. SNF Paideia is not a rostering academic department. Applicants need prior contingent approval from an academic department before they apply for SNF Paideia funding and designation. It is recommended that faculty reach out to their academic department as soon as possible before applying for SNF Paideia funding and designation.

Course proposals will usually be submitted at least eight months before the course will be offered to allow sufficient time to gather all necessary approvals from the SNF Paideia Program and the appropriate departments and schools. Faculty applications to teach in spring 2025 are requested by May 24, 2024.

Proposals can be submitted at https://curf-upenn.smapply.io/prog/snf_paideia_course_proposal/ .

The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) published its 2023-2024 Annual Report in April 2024. The report can be found here . This report summarizes the project work and initiatives of the 2023-2024 GAPSA Executive Board, General Assembly, and committee members. While navigating an unprecedented and challenging year, GAPSA stood steadfast and provided resources for students and student groups, advocated on behalf of the graduate and professional student community, and hosted dozens of programs for students. GAPSA is thankful to our members for their dedication of time and energy outside of their classroom and other extracurricular responsibilities and to our partners throughout the University for engaging in meaningful and productive dialogue throughout the year. For feedback on this report and any inquiries related to GAPSA, please refer to the contact form on our website,  linked here .

—GAPSA