![Writing Contest for Prospective Students](/images/WritingContestEmailBanner.png")
Messiah University fosters a campus culture that values writing. This is particularly true for students who are interested in a major associated with the School of Arts Culture and Society.
To celebrate this culture of writing, Messiah University faculty and students have created a writing contest exclusively for incoming first-year students.
The Writing Contest for Prospective Students invites incoming first-year students to showcase their writing skills for a chance to win an additional scholarship and recognition as an outstanding writer.
Submission Criteria and Eligibility
Submit a finished piece of individual writing. This may be something you completed for class or something you chose to develop on your own. This is open to all admitted first-time students entering Messiah University in the fall and planning to major in an area associated with the School of Arts, Culture and Society.
Students may only submit one piece of writing for evaluation. You will need to use your Admissions Status Page email and password to begin your submission.
- Limit of 1500 words
- The four categories are below
In this category we welcome poems of any kind, free verse or formal. Submissions may include up to 3 poems in one document totaling no more than 1500 words.
In this category we welcome short stories, one-act plays, and excerpts from longer works such as novels, screenplays, and stage plays, up to 1500 words.
In this category we welcome thesis-driven essays, book reviews, and research projects, up to 1500 words.
In this category we welcome both works of journalism, like profile pieces, feature articles, columns, and interviews, as well as personal essays and works of memoir or autobiography, up to 1500 words.
Awards and Recognitions
Winners will be identified by a team of undergraduate student evaluators and the Writing Contest faculty advisor.
- $1,000 scholarship will be awarded for each first-place finisher in each category.
- Top 5 winners in each category will have their entries published in a print anthology.
- Award money will be applied as a scholarship to tuition and thus will be dependent on the winners' enrollment at Messiah University.