DPG Essay Contest

DPG Essay Contest

The Drexel Publishing Group Essay Contest is now OPEN.

Categories

  1. The Zelda Provenzano Endowed STEM Writing Award
  2. Humanities
  3. Social Sciences

The Zelda Provenzano Endowed STEM Writing Award (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math): Essays about science, technology, bioscience, biotechnology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, STEM education, and related topics. This category is open to current undergraduates in all majors and all colleges at Drexel.

Humanities: Essays about history, politics, literature, philosophy, and related topics. This category is open to current undergraduates in all majors and all colleges at Drexel.

Social Science: Essays about culture, sociology, anthropology, criminal justice, psychology, and related topics. This category is open to current undergraduates in all majors and all colleges at Drexel.

Prizes: 

Prizes for each category will be announced on the DPG site. Winners will be notified by e-mail.

Note: All work recognized in the contest will be considered for publication in The 33rd, the anthology produced by the Drexel Publishing Group.

Guidelines:

  1. Any topic is permitted within the subject area of each category. All essays must include a works cited page, bibliography or list of sources used.
  2. For all categories, each entry must be a complete essay (a standard 12-point font, 1 inch margins, double-spaced) and follow all category guidelines.
  3. All submissions must be submitted as a WORD DOCUMENT (.docx file). PDFs will not be accepted. Do not submit a link to a Word document; submit the document itself.
  4. Student name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript itself; place name on the cover sheet only.
  5. Title and page number must appear in the header of every page.
  6. Manuscript must not exceed 1,700 words.
  7. There is no minimum word count.
  8. Cover Sheet: Attach to the front of the manuscript a separate cover sheet with student name, e-mail address, phone number, student ID number, your major, essay title, category (STEM; Social Sciences; Humanities), and word count. On the cover sheet, entrants should also state how they would prefer their name/pseudonym to appear if their manuscript is chosen for publication.
  9. Email your submission under the following subject line: DPG Essay Contest (CATEGORY) Submission
  10. All submissions will receive a confirmation e-mail within one business day. If you have not received one inquire about your piece.
  11. Only one entry in each category per student.
  12. Students may enter (and win in) more than one category with separate works. The same work may not be entered in multiple categories, but a student could submit a work to humanities and a different work to social sciences and so on.

General Rules:

  1. Only current Drexel University students (in all majors) are eligible.
  2. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must not plagiarize or violate standards of academic integrity.
  3. All guidelines must be followed.
  4. Students may enter (and win in) more than one category. However, the same work may not be submitted to more than one category.
  5. Student name must not appear anywhere on the entry.
  6. The Publishing Group reserves the right to re-categorize an entry and to disqualify an entry that does not follow the guidelines.
  7. The decision of the judges, with guidance and approval of the Drexel Publishing Group, is final.
  8. Judges will be developing their own criteria for evaluating entries, but it is safe to assume that they will all be looking for excellence within the category.
  9. All essays must include citations. Where necessary, cite sources using an appropriate, recognized style, such as MLA or APA.
  10. There is no entry fee.
  11. Winners must respond promptly when notified about prizes and provide all requested information so prizes can be processed. Students must check Drexel e-mail addresses to be informed about status. Prizes must be collected within the same academic/fiscal year as the contest or the prize cannot be collected. The Drexel Publishing Group and the Department of English and Philosophy are not responsible for notifications not received by contest winners due to e-mail mailboxes being full or technical problems.
  12. Entries written by a group or team of students may be considered, but it remains the responsibility of the submitting individual student to handle correspondence and submission details. Any prizes won by a submission with multiple authors will be awarded to the submitting individual student, who should then split the prize with co-authors as the group has determined.
  13. The Drexel Publishing Group reserves the right to not award an Honorable Mention, Second Place, or First Place depending on the quality of submissions received for any given category.
  14. Submissions are due by the end of the day on March 17th, 2025.

Note about Publication:

All work submitted to the contest will be considered for publication in The 33rd, the anthology produced by the Drexel Publishing Group, supported by the English and Philosophy Department and the College of Arts and Sciences. Winning the contest does not guarantee inclusion in this anthology. By submitting writing to the contest, entrants grant permission for the work to be used in the anthology. Manuscripts may be edited for publication. Entrants may be asked to revise the piece prior to publication.

Note about Judges: Judges will be drawn from the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences.