Aid and Awards
The Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies gives two awards each spring — one for the best undergraduate essay ($100 prize) and one for the best graduate essay ($200 prize). The submitted essays must be on a topic concerning gender, race, ethnicity, class, and/or sexuality. They must have been written during the previous calendar year. The competition is open to students in all schools and colleges of the University, including graduating seniors.
Essay Criteria
- The essay can be written for any university course or requirement.
- It can use any methodology or approach.
- It must be prose, not poetry.
- Undergraduate submissions should be 8-10 pages.
- Graduate submissions should be 20-25 pages.
- We will not accept essays that have been previously published or considered for publication.
- We will not accept essays that are pending grades.
- One submission per person
Essay Attributes
- Originality
- Creativity
- Insight
- Clarity of Analysis
- Quality of Writing
To submit an essay, email it to gsstudies@vanderbilt.edu. Please do not include your name on headers or footers within the essay.