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Awards

Awards will be given for first, second, and third place in each category.

• 1st Place – $500

• 2nd Place – $350

• 3rd Place – $200

Submissions

Submitting your writing is easy — just follow these steps: 

• Remove all identifying information (e.g., your name, instructor's name, class, etc.) from the manuscript.
• Save your work as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf file. 
• Submit online through the link below using your º£½ÇÂÛ̳ login.
• Include with your submission: 
  • Your name
  • Preferred email 
  • Student ID number
  • Class, semester, and name of instructor the submission was written for

By submitting your work to the President's Writing Awards, you confirm your work is original and free of plagiarism. Instructors will verify finalist submissions were completed as part of º£½ÇÂÛ̳ coursework.

Past Winners

2025 President's Writing Awards Winners

First-Year Writing

• First place: Aeron Johns, "To be a Statistic”
• Second place: Lynnay Hogg, "Graduation”
• Third place: Soren Ashcraft, "Facial Recognition Technology: Orwellian or Innovative?"

Creative Nonfiction  

• First place: Rose Parham, "Practically Unsinkable”
• Second place: Ashley Renteria, "Our Children's Danger”
• Third place: Rheya Turner, "Wasting Disease”

Fiction

• First place: Kenton Piper-Ruth, "Heavy”
• Second place: Rose Parham, "The Warden”
• Third place: Jenessa Branon, "Under the Surface”

Poetry

• First place: William Spickelmire, "In the Cabinet”
• Second place: Ashley Renteria, "Echoes of Choice”
• Third place: MariCruz Aguilar-Gallup, "Fuck the New 'Greats'”

Critical Analysis

• First place: MariCruz Aguilar-Gallup, "Breaking the Boxes”
• Second place: Austin Negaard Walters, "The Civilian Conservation Corps, Putting America to Work”
• Third place: Bolt Buckner, "The Innovative Advancements in Explosives and Chemical Weapons During WWI”

Literature-Based Research

• First place: Taylor Hug, Ella Hess, Oliver Jensen, and Kacie Mize, "Counterfactual Thinking and Personality Disorders: A Study of Self-Perception and Worldview”
• Second place: Ty Stanley-Kershner, "Construction Allies: Basque Diaspora as International Advocates for the Homeland”
• Third place: Katherine Buckels, "The Pandemic of Hate: The Rise of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes in America”

Original Research

• First place: Andrea Alvizo, "A Sense of Belonging: A Survey About the Role of Family Support and Social Clubs on Sleep Quality, Anxiety, and Self-Esteem”
• Second place: Natosha McLaskey, "A Sense of Belonging: A Convenience Sample Survey of Racial Effects, Academic Success, and Social Clubs”
• Third place: Claire Westergard, "The Impact of Media Comparison, Attractiveness Exposure, and Thin Ideals on Body Image and Self-Perception in College Students”

Workplace Writing

• First place: Anna McLean, "Letter to the Editor”
• Second place: Garima Dhakal, "Introduction to Non-Destructive Testing”