Cash awards offered for Shapiro Essay Revision Contest

February 16, 2016 | UToday, — Languages, Literature and Social Sciences
By Ashley Gearheart



Interested in winning $500 for one or two hours of work? The University of Toledo Department of English Language and Literature and the Composition Program will host the 2016 Shapiro Essay Revision Contest from Monday through Thursday, Feb. 22-25.

Fifteen winners will receive a cash prize ranging from $75 to $500, and no advance registration is required.

shapiro 2016“The Shapiro Essay Revision Contest is the largest and most inclusive writing contest on campus,” said Dr. Deborah Coulter-Harris, associate lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature, and coordinator of the contest for the past nine years.

Competitors will be given a poorly written essay and will have two hours to revise it and make it their own.

Judging takes place in the week following the competition, and winners will be notified.

This year, the top five winners will be invited to attend the Shapiro Festival celebration gala in April.

All nine sessions will be held on Main Campus in Memorial Field House Room 2420. Sessions will take place:

• Monday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4 p.m.

• Tuesday, Feb. 23, from noon to 2 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m.

• Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., from 5 to 7 p.m., and from 7 to 9 p.m.

• Thursday, Feb. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m.

Students must bring their Rocket Card and also may bring pens and pencils, dictionaries, and thesauruses. No laptops or other resources are allowed.

The Shapiro Essay Revision Contest is named for Dr. Edward Shapiro, who was designated professor emeritus in economics when he retired in 1989. He donated the funds used for the contest to encourage and recognize UT students for their good writing.

“Three awards must go to a freshman and three to a sophomore, a condition laid out by Dr. Shapiro, so that leaves nine awards that could go to anyone,” Coulter-Harris said.

She added that this contest is meant to enhance student experience at UT and reflects on the English Department’s student-centered philosophy.

For more information, contact Coulter-Harris at deborah.coulter-harris@utoledo.edu or 419.530. 4416.

Click to access the login or register cheese