THE OSSIP AWARDS
FOR EXCELLENCE IN UNDERGRADUATE WRITING
Sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences
The School of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce our annual writing competition. Its purpose is to recognize and promote fine nonfiction prose writing in the Natural Sciences, the Social Sciences, and the Humanities. Cash prizes will be awarded for winning entries in the categories of Research Writing (projects involving substantial analysis of primary sources or data) and Critical Writing (projects involving critical analysis of a text, artifact, problem, issue, or experience).
The 2007 competition will consider pieces written for courses taken at the University of Pittsburgh during the 2005-2006 or 2006-2007 academic years (Fall, Spring, or Summer Terms). Submissions will be judged by the College Writing Board, and the awards will be acknowledged at the Honors Convocation.
Guidelines for Submission:
1. Papers must have been written by a matriculated undergraduate student in Arts and Sciences, to fulfill the requirements for a course at the University of Pittsburgh. Papers may be revised before being submitted to the contest.
2. Submit eight clean copies to the Chair of the College Writing Board, Dept of English, 526 CL. The copies should be accompanied by one cover sheet listing the title of the piece; student’s name, address, and PeopleSoft number; the name of the department, the class, and the professor for whom the paper was written; and the category in which the paper belongs (Research or Critical Writing). Except for the cover sheet, submissions should be identified by title only.
3. Submissions may also be made online through the Writing Across the Curriculum website (www.wac.pitt.edu). Please refer to the guidelines and cover sheet found under “Ossip Awards.” Online submissions must also include a note indicating whether the piece belongs in the Research or Critical Writing category. Except for the cover sheet, submissions should be identified by title only.
4. All contestants must either include a copy of the assignment that prompted the paper, or attach a preface that explains the assignment in detail. Submissions without an assignment sheet or preface will not be considered.
5. The deadline for submission is May 15, 2007. Submissions will be accepted any time between now and the deadline.
6. Fiction and poetry are not eligible for the Ossip Award.
7. Judges for the competition will consider content (writing that demonstrates depth and breadth of understanding, provides accurate information, and conveys quality analysis), coherence (writing that shows clear purpose, logical organization, and sentence fluency), and style (writing that is precise, clear, and compelling within the context of disciplinary conventions) when evaluating the essays.
For more information contact:
Beth Matway, Chair, College Writing Board, 526 CL; 624-6533; ebm12@pitt.edu
