Snite Museum of Art

Each year, the Snite Museum of Art and the University Writing Program host an essay competition in conjunction with the First Year Academic Convocation. Judged by a committee of Snite Museum staff and University Seminar faculty members, three awards go to the best essays by first-year students on topics related to one or more works of art in the Snite Museum:  

  • First Prize: $150
  • Second Prize: $125
  • Third Prize: $100
     

Contest Guidelines:

  • The contest is open to students in Writing and Rhetoric (formerly First Year Composition) and University Seminar classes.
  • Essays may be descriptive, analytical, narrative, or imaginative.
  • Essays need have no particular format, but a work of art in the Snite Museum should comprise part of their subject.
  • Comparisons between ideas found in class readings and in works of art make excellent topics.
  • Essays should be no longer than three pages in length.
  • Names of the first-year writer and instructor should be clearly shown on the first page.
  • Writers and instructors should ensure that essays are edited for grammar and spelling and that the essay submitted is the student’s original work.
  • Only hard (printed) copies will be accepted. Please do not email submissions as attachments.

The submission deadline is December 2, 2011. Earlier submissions are appreciated.

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

The winner and nominating faculty member are invited to attend the First Year of Studies Academic Convocation (spring semester).

Winners will also have their essays published in Fresh Writing, a journal of the best essays written by students in Writing and Rhetoric, University Seminars, and other first year classes at the University of Notre Dame. (Simultaneous submissions to both the Snite essay contest and Fresh Writing are discouraged.)

Here are the most recent winning essays, written during the 2010–2011 school year:

For more information, or to submit an essay to the competition, please contact:

Diana C.J. Matthias
Curator of Academic Programs
Snite Museum of Art
University of Notre Dame
Diana.C.Matthias.2@nd.edu
(574) 631-4718