McPartlin Award

Each year, the University Writing Program hosts an essay competition in conjunction with the First Year Academic Convocation. Founded in the early 1990s by Stephen McPartlin, this award honors excellent writing by first year students at the University of Notre Dame. Three awards are given, and winning essays will be published in the 2012 edition of Fresh Writing, the annual journal of the best essays written by students in the College of the First Year of Studies.

First, second, and third place winners will receive $100, $50, and $50 cash awards, respectively, and plaques commemorating their achievement.

Guidelines for Faculty

  • Professors may nominate one essay written by a student enrolled in the professor’s First-Year Composition, Writing and Rhetoric, or University Seminar course during the Spring 2011 or Fall 2011 Semesters.
  • The nominated essay must make an argument about a given topic.
  • The essay may include original research by the writer.
  • The essay may not exceed fifteen pages of text (excluding works cited).
  • Professors are asked to obtain students’ written permission to enter the essay in the contest and to publish it in Fresh Writing.
  • Nominations should be made by email to Matthew Capdevielle, mcapdev1@nd.edu.
    • Nominations must include a brief explanation of the assignment and a statement explaining why the essay is worthy of consideration.
    • Essays should be attached to the nomination e-mail message as Microsoft Word (doc or docx) files or PDF files and should include the student's last name in the file name.

Guidelines for Students

  • After the essay has been nominated by the professor, the student will submit to the professor an electronic copy of the essay that has been nominated. The professor will then forward the essay to Matthew Capdevielle, mcapdev1@nd.edu. 
  • The essay may incorporate revisions based on the professor's final comments on the it, but the essay should not contain instructor comments.

Essays that do not meet these guidelines do not qualify for the contest.

Contest winners and nominating faculty will be invited to attend the First Year of Studies Convocation in the spring semester, when the winners will be recognized.

The deadline for submission of student essays is Monday, January 9, 2012. Earlier submissions are welcome and appreciated.

For more information, or to submit a nomination packet, contact:

Dr. Matthew Capdevielle
University Writing Program
205 Coleman-Morse
University of Notre Dame
mcapdev1@nd.edu