Now accepting submissions for 2013 Writing Excellence Awards.
Oakland University regards writing as an essential part of a quality education and seeks to identify and honor excellent student writers from disciplines across campus. The Writing Excellence Contest is open to all registered undergraduate students who have written papers for courses taken during the winter, spring, summer, and fall (20132) semesters.
Papers are accepted in six categories:
First Year Writing (WRT 102, 150, or 160)
- Category 1: Personal Essay -- Outstanding experiential or expressive essays written for WRT 102, 150, or 160. Essays may include some source use and some multi-media content but the focus is on personal expression.
- Category 2: Analytical Essay -- Outstanding analytical essays written for WRT 102, 150, or 160. Projects may use some secondary sources and multi-media content but the focus is on primary research, such as case study, ethnography, or textual analysis.
- Category 3: Research Essay -- Outstanding research essay written for WRT 160. Features include developing new knowledge, synthesizing sources effectively, and documenting appropriately in APA format. Essays may include some multi-media content and primary research, but the focus is on making new meaning using secondary sources.
Upper-level WRT or Writing Intensive
- Category 4: Research Project -- Outstanding formal research project for any upper-division WRT or general education writing intensive course. Features include developing new knowledge, synthesizing sources effectively, and documenting appropriately. Essays may include some multi-media content and primary research.
- Category 5: Creative Non-Fiction -- Outstanding non-fiction essay written for upper-division WRT or writing intensive general education courses. Projects may use some secondary sources and multi-media content but the focus is on personal expression in writing.
All Courses
- Category 6: Multi-media Project -- Outstanding multi-media project written for any WRT course or writing intensive general education course. Projects may be any combination of text, graphics, audio, and video but focus is on elements other than text.
View the 2012 Writing Excellence award winners here.
Prizes will include $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place in each category; in the event that a multi-authored work wins, prize money will be split among the collaborators. Students may make multiple submissions but only one entry per category. The judges will allocate only one award per student, and they reserve the right not to designate three winners in each category if the submissions do not merit awards. The current competition covers winter, spring, summer and fall 2013.
The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2014.
View previous winners.