Inspiring Learning Contest Essay Criteria
Essay Contest Criteria
Please carefully read the following instructions, as entries must follow these guidelines to be considered.
Prompts
Choose one of the two following prompts to write your essay on.
Prompt One:
D&C 88:11—And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings.
- Write an essay that answers the question: How has your life science experience enlightened your understanding and love of God’s work and creations?
Prompt Two:
Matthew 5:16—Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
- Write an essay that answers the question: How has your life sciences experience inspired good works for the benefit of others?
Eligibility
- The contest is open to all undergraduate and graduate students who are Life Sciences majors or minors.
- Authors must submit their essays to this contest only. We do not accept work that has been published or is under consideration elsewhere, that has previously won an award from another contest, or that may be the property of another publisher.
- Students may submit only one entry. The student who wins first place in this contest is not eligible to enter the contest the following year.
Submission Guidelines
- All submissions must be in English and written by the person who submits them. AI-generated works will not be accepted.
- Essays submitted must clearly answer the given prompt and be between 500 and 1,000 words long. Research papers are not accepted.
- Please carefully review your work to ensure it is grammatically correct, has varying sentence structure, and is thoughtfully organized.
- Please use Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, or Helvetica 12-point font.
- All entries must be in pdf format.
- Your name may not appear anywhere in your submitted document or document title to facilitate blind judging.
Deadline
The contest entry form opens on May 1, 2024. The contest deadline is September 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. MDT.
Judging
Judging begins once the contest deadline has passed and takes approximately one month, depending on the number of submissions. We will notify winners by email. Please note, the judges reserve the right to withhold any award if no entry meets the predetermined standards required.
Right to Refuse Any Entry
The College of Life Sciences reserves the right to refuse any entry.
Prizes
Top submissions will be showcased as part of the College’s display for the sesquicentennial celebration from July 2025 to July 2026. Prizes will be awarded as follows:
First Place: $500
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $100