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Printer-Friendly ModeWriting award deadlines nearing
December 4, 2006 —
Entry deadlines for several student writing awards are fast approaching.
Friday marks the submission cut-off date for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2007 Writing Contest. Sponsored by the Office of Diversity Programs, the third-annual competition asks students to consider what King's celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech means to them today.
The first-place essay will be read at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Jan. 17 and be published in the winter issue of Cardinal Sins. Those seeking more information are asked to contact the Office of Diversity Programs.
The deadline for the Robert S. P. Yien First-Year Writing Awards is also approaching. The awards showcase work by fall semester English 111 students recommended by the students' teachers. Submissions are due to Coordinator of First-Year Writing, Nate Garrelts, by Jan. 10.
Diane Boehm, director of the University Writing Program, says that presenting an award to first-year writers yields a number of positives for both the University and the student.
"I think for the University to be able to put out a publication and highlight the good work students are doing really demonstrates both to faculty and to students that working with student writers pays off," Boehm says.
Up to five cash prizes may be awarded for the First-Year Writing Awards with $500 going to the first-place winner.
Boehm also discussed a writing competition new to the University this year that will use the subject of the Fall Focus Lecture Series as its prompt.
The inaugural year of the award will look at "The Challenge of Religion" and will consider any genre of writing (e.g. essay, poem, fiction, drama). Boehm says the University Writing Committee developed the award to give students another opportunity to seek recognition and to take advantage of what she believes is a wonderful series.
"We just wanted a way to take that kind of central question or focus and have a way that that can be reflected back in student work," she says.
The University also awards two other recognizable writing accolades in the Tyner Prizes and Braun Awards.
Marking their 15th year, the Tyner Prizes for Writing in the Humanities recognize student writers in the categories of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Student work is nominated by faculty members and the three winners receive $100.
This year's coordinator, Melissa Seitz, says there are several benefits to winning a Tyner Prize. A former winner herself, she says the award helped her get into graduate school and that it could help others pull off similar feats.
"One of the major benefits of receiving the Tyner is the recognition for the student, not only on campus, but in the larger community, as well," she says. "Career wise, or for someone planning on going to graduate school, this award demonstrated the student's excellent writing skills and gives the student that extra advantage needed."
The Braun Awards for Writing Excellence have been established to create incentives for outstanding student writing and opportunities for student writers to be recognized and published. Established by Ruth and Ted Braun, the awards recognize exemplary writing in several areas and present awards from each of the five colleges and general education as well as graduate and multimedia programs.
The submission deadline for both the Tyner and Braun awards is March 13. The awards - along with the new Fall Focus award - will be presented during a ceremony April 10. Boehm says the ceremony is always one of her favorite parts of the event because it gives students a chance to be heard.
"It's a really nice event because each writer gets recognized and reads an excerpt from his or her work," Boehm says. "The greatest incentive for a writer is for someone to listen to what he or she has written."
For more information on any of the writing awards, visit the University Web site or contact Boehm at (989) 964-7228.