Writing Contest Category Descriptions
First Year Writing
- Short Form2-6 page piece, based on an inquiry, analysis, and/or argument assignment. May contain research and its proper documentation.
- Long Form7-15 page essay, based on an inquiry, analysis, and/or argument assignment. Must incorporate research and its proper documentation.
- Creative NonfictionPersonal narrative/memoir, lyric essay, creative argument, literary journalism, and the like
- Multimodal/Digital CompositionCompositions presented in digital form that include some combination of visual, aural, and textual rhetoric.
Upper Divison Writing
- A&S Writing PrizeResearch-based projects completed by students in WRTG 3020 Topics in Writing, WRTG 3007 Writing in the Visual Arts, or majors other than Engineering in WRTG 3030 Writing on Science and Society. For personal essays or creative non- fiction, please submit to the CNF Prize. For Engineering majors, please submit to the Mackison Prize.
- Creative NonfictionPersonal narrative/memoir, lyric essay, creative argument, literary journalism, and the like -- as well as digital multimodal creative nonfiction (for example, photo essay or digital storytelling video).
- Mackison PrizeExclusive to College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) majors in WRTG 3030 Writing on Science and Society and WRTG 3035 Technical Communication and Design. Only CEAS majors writing on an engineering-related topic are eligible. Entries must be documents. No videos or other primarily digital forms (e.g. digital storytelling or web pages) are accepted. Awarded each semester (separate form).
- Collaborative Writing AwardTeam project completed for client/community parter in upper-divison courses, such as WRTG 3025. Only one team member should submit on behalf of the entire team.
- Business WritingResearch-based projects completed by students in WRTG 3040 Writing on Business and Society.
Diversity Writing
- Diversity AwardTraditional or multi-modal essays written for any PWR class in any genre that pertains to diversity. Submissions may address diversity in the broadest sense, including such topics as social class, gender, sexuality, age, race, ability, mental health, ethnicity, or cultural difference.
- Multilingual WritingWe welcome submissions that address diversity in its broadest sense, including such topics as: social class, gender, sexuality, age, race, ability, ethnicity or cultural differences. The award is offered for outstanding traditional or multimodal essays in any genre on topics pertaining to diversity. The multilingual prize is awarded to students writing on a diversity-related topic using or incorporating multiple varieties of English, including students writing English as a Second Language. ESL students are especially encouraged to submit.
Contest & Prize Submission Forms
Deadlines:
- Jan. 31, 2024 (for Fall 2023)
- May 15, 2024 (for Spring 2024)
- Sept. 20, 2023 (for Summer 2023)
Writing & Research Links
- Using Rhetorical Strategies for Persuasion, Purdue University Online Writing Lab
- Logical fallacies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center
- Logical Fallacies, James W. Benham and Thomas J. Marlowe
(This humorous site explains several fallacies by using them in sentence definitions.)
- Citation guides to APA, MLA, and Chicago styles, University of Wisconsin at Madison Writing Center
- How to Write an Annotated Bibliography, University of California, Santa Cruz library
- Annotated Bibliography, Purdue University Online Writing Lab
- Avoiding Plagiarism, Purdue University Online Writing Lab
- Plagiarism, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill