Promoting, supporting and encouraging the study of the United States since 1955

British Association for American Studies

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BAAS School Essay Prize

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BAAS School Essay Prize

The 2021 award will open for submissions on 1 October 2020.

We are looking for essays that explore any aspect of the American experience, from the perspective of history, literature, film, politics or any other related or inter-related discipline. If you would rather respond to a specific question, you can choose from one of the following:

  • Explore the use of gender roles in an American novel or play of your choosing.
  • How far do you agree that the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was the sign the US had entered a “postracial” era?

No preference will be given, whether you choose to write on a topic of your own choosing, or if you respond to one of these questions.

Submissions that engage with some aspect of social justice, such as (but not limited to) voting rights, environmental justice, Indigenous rights, racial justice, healthcare, gender justice, immigration, or equality, are of particular interest to the awarding panel. 

Essays may be adapted from coursework or ongoing research projects that students are engaged in, but they must conform to the word length required by the judging panel for each award.

In addition, we request that each entry for the School Essay prize should be accompanied by a signed letter from the student’s teacher, certifying the applicant’s status. This must include a contact email address for that teacher.

The award for the winning author will be £150, with two runner-up prizes of £50 each.

The essay must not exceed 1,500 words in length. You are encouraged to include references and a bibliography, but this is not essential and will have no bearing on the award. However, any materials used should be listed and the award panel will not tolerate any form of plagiarism. The 1,500 word count only refers to the body of the essay, and not any details of sources used.

Essays and a teacher’s letter certifying the applicant’s status should be sent by e-mail to: awards@baas.ac.uk. The deadline for submissions is 18 January 2021.

 

BAAS is committed to promoting best practice in matters of equality and diversity, and will be attentive to issues of equality and diversity when judging applications.

For enquiries about the awards, contact awards@baas.ac.uk

 

You can view the Submission Guidelines here.

BAAS is committed to promoting best practice in matters of equality and diversity, and will be attentive to issues of equality and diversity when judging applications.

For enquiries about the awards, contact awards@baas.ac.uk

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