The 2024-2025 University of Rhode Island Writing Award celebrates compelling writing produced by both URI undergraduate and graduate students. The Awards will recognize work that has an impact; understands audience, purpose, and form; and demonstrates rigor and precision. We especially welcome writing that reflects the diverse perspectives of underrepresented groups. Multimedia submissions are encouraged. Co-authored submissions are also accepted. Writers must be registered and matriculating URI students during the current 2024-25 academic year. To assist with revision prior to submission, visits to the undergraduate or graduate writing centers or consultation with a faculty member for feedback are strongly recommended. The Award submissions are judged by a panel of faculty from across the colleges at URI. The winning submission in each category may receive an award of $1,000. Awards will be announced in late April 2025.
submit by march 1, 2025Categories
- Advocacy: Writing that gets things done, that makes an argument, that changes the world/community. Judges in this category will look particularly for how the writing persuades its audience about a significant issue. The context statement must make a strong case for the impact or potential impact of the piece.
- Scholarly/ Research: Writing that uses primary and/or secondary sources to pursue a line of inquiry. Judges in this category will look particularly for depth of scholarship, professional presentation, and rigor.
- Informing the Public: Writing that explains complex ideas/issues (scientific, scholarly, technical, etc) to educate and inform a general/non-expert audience. Judges in this category will look particularly for writing that is accessible, engaging, fact-based, and informed by credible sources.
- Creative: Writing in this category may include any genre. Judges in this category will look particularly for inventiveness, insight, and craft.
Process
Writers will submit (1) the writing artifact and (2) a context statement.
Eligibility and Contest Rules
- Submissions are due by 5 pm on March 1, 2025 here.
- Students will complete an entry form at the above link. Students should submit (a) a copy of their work and (b) a context statement giving some explanation about the writing submitted.
- Context Statement: please provide some background to the writing submission. (1) Explain how your writing meets the description of the category to which you are submitting. (2) Describe where and how the submission was developed. (3) Describe what has resulted from this writing (recognition, action, course grade). (Reminder: for the Advocacy category, the context statement must make a strong case for the impact or potential impact of the writing.)
- Submissions should be no more than one chapter; one article; or 20 pages.
- The judges will consider writing produced by any student whether submitted for credit or written outside of a course (for an external project, community work, etc).
- Only one entry per student. Students must choose one category in which to enter their work. If you are unsure which category applies, contact writingacrossuri@etal.uri.edu.
- Writers must be registered and matriculating URI students during the current 2024-2025 academic year.
- Co-authored works with other student writers may be submitted in any category. Any awards granted will be split equally among co-authors.
- Any writing co-authored with a faculty member will not be considered for this student award.
- Students will attest on the entry form that the work they are submitting is their own work, and that they grant permission for their work to be published by URI for promotional purposes.
- Any AI tools used, at any stage of the writing process, must be declared and detailed in the context statement.
- The judges reserve the right to consider a submission in a category other than one to which the student submitted.
- Students will retain copyright to their work.
- In the event that a high standard is not met by entries in any category, judges reserve the right to withhold awards in that category for that year.
- Submitted work need not be identical to the version of the work that was submitted for class credit or for any outside purpose. In fact, students are strongly encouraged to further revise their work prior to submission in consultation with the Undergraduate Writing Center, the Graduate Writing Center, a faculty member, or a colleague/friend.
- Students may not submit to a category in which they have previously received a URI Writing Award.
Questions
If you have any questions about the process, please contact Writing Across URI at writingacrossuri@etal.uri.edu. Download a PDF of the instructions here.
Award announcements
Results of the competition will be announced in late April 2025 on social media and the Writing Across URI website.