The Nation is looking for original, thoughtful, provocative student voices to convey what the most important issues for young people are in the 2008 presidential campaign. Essays should not exceed 800 words and should be original, unpublished work that demonstrates clear thinking and superior quality of expression and craftsmanship.
The Nation will select five finalists (including at least one high-schooler) and one winner, who will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a Nation subscription. The winning essay will be published in the magazine and featured on the website. The winner will also be published by partners Campus Progress and Wire Tap.The five finalists will be awarded $200 each and Nation subscriptions, and their entries will be published at TheNation.com.
The contest is open to students at US high schools and to undergraduates at US colleges and universities. Entries (only one per student) will be accepted through May 31. A winner will be announced by September 4. Please send entries to studentprize@thenation.com.
For last year’s inaugural contest, the Nation received more than 700 submissions from high school and college students in forty-one states. The entries arrived from big public institutions and tiny liberal arts colleges, from rural high schools and penitentiary writing programs, from Indian reservations and large urban centers. Read Sarah Stillman’s winning essay, Project Corpus Callosum, as well as the five finalists–by Brie Cubelic, Zaid Jilani, Nikolas Bowie, Lianne Yim and Camila Domonske.
Check out the StudentNation page to see info on all of The Nation’s student projects, programs and initiatives.