IUB-Undergraduate Essay Prize in World History

It is the intent of the Donors that these gifts be used to support one annual prize, at a minimum of $500, to be given to an undergraduate for the best essay in world history ( outside the USA and Western Europe).

Restrictions:

Applicants for essay prizes must be currently pursuing an undergraduate degree at Indiana University Bloomington (they do not have to be a History major). They may submit only one essay per prize. The same essay cannot be submitted for more than one prize. Essays should be typed in 12-point type, and the text should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. Papers can be submitted through IU Scholarships between January 15 and March 1 in the category specified there for that essay prize. The papers should be submitted in pdf form.

Tips:

While you will be submitting an essay or paper you wrote for a class you took at IUB, you should keep in mind that even a piece of work that earned a high grade may not make a good submission without some revision. In an essay or paper written for a specific assignment, the author can often choose to omit information that someone who has not taken the course will need in order to understand the argument. Bear in mind also that you will be competing against the best of your peers. So make sure that the quality of your own work comes shining through. You might ask yourself these questions as you revise:

1. Does my essay or paper have a thesis (a position I am arguing for or defending) or is it simply a narrative? A submission that is merely descriptive will probably not be as strong a competitor as one that presents a point of view about the past.

2. Is my submission focused? An essay or paper which has a tight focus is likely to be more effective and persuasive than one that meanders.

3. Are my sources properly cited? Sometimes in a classroom paper, you are only required to cite works by the author’s last name and page number; for essay contests all works should receive a full and proper citation, whether you choose a footnote/endnote apparatus or parenthetical citation with a “Works Cited" list at the end. For more information about citing sources using the Chicago Manual of Style, visit the Student portal “How to Cite Sources" at https://history.indiana.edu/student_portal/researchprocess/citations.html.

4. Have I corrected all of the grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors in my submission? An essay or paper containing spelling and grammatical errors looks unimpressive and sloppy.