How to Enter the 14th Annual “A Piece of the Past” University Museum Essay Contest, Spring 2024
GRAND PRIZE $1,500
Plus, additional prizes in each category:
First Prize $500
Second Prize $250
Honorable Mentions $50
Sponsored by The Joella and Stewart Morris Foundation & The Museum of Southern History
CATEGORIES FOR SUBMISSION
Museums of Southern History, American Architecture and Decorative Arts
Dunham Bible Museum
Fine Arts and Contemporary Art Museums
First Year and HCU Academy Students
ELIGIBILITY
All current HCU, HCU Academy undergraduate students (including HCU December 2023 graduates), and HCU applicant students are eligible for the grand prize, categories 1-3, and the honorable mention awards. Only HCU undergraduate freshmen and HCU Academy students are eligible for category 4.
Submission Deadline: April 1, 2024, 5:00 p.m.
HOW TO ENTER
- CHOOSE AN ARTIFACT OR ARTWORK
You may choose any artifact or work of art in any of the five museums. Excluded are explanatory displays. Museum staff will be available to help orient students to the museum collections and to discuss possibilities. The Museum of Southern History, the Dunham Bible Museum, and the Museum of American Architecture and Decorative Arts are all located in the Joella and Stewart Morris Cultural Arts Center. The Fine Arts and Contemporary Art museums are located in the University Academic Center. - CHOOSE A MENTOR
You may ask a HCU faculty member to formally serve as mentor for your essay. Some professors will require you to write the essay for class; if so, he or she will be designated as your mentor. These mentors will give you guidance and feedback on your work. You are not required to have a mentor, but the support will help. And if you win an award, your mentor will too! - WRITE THE ESSAY:
Write a 1,000 to 1,250-word essay on your chosen artifact or artwork. APA and MLA documentation styles are acceptable. Full essay guidelines are available online. - SUBMIT THE ESSAY:
To submit your essay, you must fill out this form to join the Museum Essay Contest Blackboard page.
AWAIT JUDGMENT
The judges will evaluate the essays including quality of the scholarly research, argumentation, organization, writing style, and documentation. The judges reserve the right to disqualify essays that do not meet the basic minimum requirements described in the essay guidelines. The judges reserve the right not to award prizes in any category for which fewer than ten (10) entries are received.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE…
FRESHMAN CATEGORY/HCU ACADEMY CATEGORY: The winning freshmen/HCU Academy essays will be selected from the essays submitted in the three museum categories. Freshman status will be accorded to students with fewer than 32 earned college credit hours at the beginning of Fall 2024. Any student enrolled in the HCU Academy for either semester of the 2023-2024 academic year is eligible for this category.
NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS/PAST SUBMISSIONS: Students may submit up to three essays. Essays that have won Honorable Mention awards in the past may be revised and edited and resubmitted for consideration again this contest year. Essays that have previously won 1st, 2nd, or Grand Prizes cannot be submitted again.
FOR MORE INFORMATION…
Contact Dr. Doni M. Wilson at dmwilson@hc.edu.