Essay Submissions

The 2008 Essay Contest is closed. Please check back in August to see the list of 2008 winners and read the first-place essays. The topic for the 2009 Essay Contest will also be posted.

The judges value original insights and clear, correct writing. Essays should be directed to a well-informed general audience of JASNA members rather than to a strictly academic audience. Essays should be based primarily on the students' own observations, with adequate support from the Jane Austen work(s) under discussion. Since JASNA members are very familiar with Jane Austen's works, plot summary is unnecessary.

Essays written for coursework may be submitted. If research is used as support, students should rely on no more than five sources and should avoid academic terminology unless terms are clearly defined in the body of the essay. Reading previous winning essays will give entrants a very good idea of the sort of essay JASNA is seeking.

Contest Rules

  1. Entries must be submitted with the official Essay Contest entry form. Click on this link to view and print the entry form (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
  2. The student must complete and sign the entry form, which includes a stipulation that the essay is the student's original work and has not been published elsewhere.
  3. Entries must include the student's statement concerning his/her mentor, four printed copies of the essay, and a disk (labeled with the student's name) containing the essay in Microsoft Word 95 or higher.
  4. Essays must be submitted on or before the deadline established each year.
  5. Contest judging is conducted anonymously. Personal information about the student, school, and mentor must appear ONLY on the entry form and the disk label.
  6. Entries, with all required enclosures, must be mailed to:
Marsha Huff
Suite 3600
777 E. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Note: Essays and disks cannot be returned.

Essay Format

  1. The essay must be 6-8 pages in length, not including the Works Cited page.
  2. The title of the essay should appear at the top of page one; further pages should be numbered on the top right; the student's name must not appear on the essay.
  3. The essay must be in MLA format (double-spaced and in 12 point type throughout, with one-inch margins on all sides of each page).
  4. The essay must use MLA documentation, including a Works Cited page and parenthetical end notes. Note that source material which is directly quoted as well as that which is paraphrased or summarized must be cited. Note also that quotes from the Jane Austen work under discussion should be cited.

Entries that do not conform to the above requirements or arrive after the deadline will be disqualified.

Questions? Contact Lynn Sherick at lynn.sherick@gmail.com. You must use "JASNA Essay Contest" in your subject line.