AFAS Writing Prizes

Earn recognition and a cash award for your writing!

Submission Guidelines

Failure to follow instructions may result in the disqualification of your submission. 

  1. Complete the following form. 
  2. There must not be any information in or on the actual manuscript that identifies the author.
  3. The Undergraduate Essay must originate as a course assignment or faculty-supervised project in an AFAS core or cross-listed course or independent study.
  4. The essay must be revised and different from the one originally submitted for class.
  5. All pages must be typed, double-spaced, and single-sided.
  6. Upload your manuscript by the advertised deadline. 

 

Student Information
Faculty Endorsement
The AFAS Undergraduate Essay Prize
The AFAS Undergraduate Essay Prize of $500.00 honors the best essay on any subject related to culture and life of Africans or African-descended people anywhere in the Diaspora. The paper may have its intellectual origins in any disciplinary field in the humanities or social sciences, although it should be intelligible to any external reader. This competition is open to all Washington University undergraduate students. Papers should originate as a course assignment or faculty-supervised project in an AFAS core or cross-listed course or independent study. All submissions require a faculty nomination. Faculty members may nominate any number of papers they wish. The essay must be no fewer than five (5) and no more than fifteen (15) double-spaced pages, not including cover page and references, if included.
The AFAS Graduate Essay Prize
The AFAS Undergraduate Essay Prize of $500.00 honors the best essay on any subject related to culture and life of Africans or African-descended people anywhere in the Diaspora. The paper may have its intellectual origins in any disciplinary field in the humanities or social sciences, although it should be intelligible to any external reader. This competition is open to all Washington University undergraduate students. Papers should originate as a course assignment or faculty-supervised project in an AFAS core or cross-listed course or independent study. All submissions require a faculty nomination. Faculty members may nominate any number of papers they wish. The essay must be no fewer than five (5) and no more than fifteen (15) double-spaced pages, not including cover page and references, if included.
The AFAS Prize for the Best Student Essay in a Foreign Language
The AFAS Prize for the Best Student Essay in a Foreign Language of $500.00 honors the best student writing related to Africa or to African-descended people anywhere in the Diaspora that is written a language other than English. The paper can have its intellectual origins in any disciplinary field, although it should be intelligible to any external reader familiar with the language in which the paper is written. This competition is open to all Washington University undergraduate and graduate students. Papers may but do not necessarily have to originate as a course assignment or faculty-supervised project and can be in any language that is taught at Washington University. All submissions require a faculty nomination. Faculty members may nominate any number of papers. The essay must be no fewer than five (5) and no more than twelve (12) double-spaced pages, not including cover page and references, if included.
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