The academic panel reserves the right to not bestow awards if entries do not meet academic publication standards. Additionally, the academic panel also reserves the right to expand the categories to a third, post bachelor's degree division.
General Criteria
Word limit:
- HIGH SCHOOL: 1000 words
- COLLEGE: 1500 words
Style:
MLA only
Anonymity:
Remove all identifying information (e.g., your name, schools) from the essay.
Sources:
- COLLEGE: The strongest college essays will use evidence from primary sources, both theological and historical, as well as from scholarly secondary sources.
- HIGH SCHOOL: The strong high school essays will make reference to theological & historical sources.
Specific Criteria
|
CRITERIA |
DETAILS |
|
Creativity and Originality |
You exceed the parameters of the assignment, with original insights, creative synthesis of sources or a particularly engaging style. 25 points |
|
Argument |
Your central argument is clear, interesting, and demonstrable, based on evidence and not opinion. The claims made in the body of the paper clearly and obviously support your central argument. Your arguments and claims reflect a robust and nuanced understanding of the issues raised in the topic. 25 points |
|
Evidence |
The essay uses evidence from primary sources, both theological and historical, as well as from scholarly secondary sources. The evidence used is rich, specific, varied and unambiguously supports your claims. Quotations and illustrations are used appropriately, with good framing and explanation in your essay. 25 points |
|
Structure |
Your ideas are presented in a logical and coherent manner, with strong topic sentences throughout the paper. The reader can effortlessly follow the structure of your argument. 25 points |
|
Clarity |
There are no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Quotations are properly cited. 25 points |
|
Overall Score |
150 possible points total |
Copyright Statement Disclaimer
Winning essays will be published on "Constellation," Benedictine University's digital repository of scholarly works at , where they will be freely accessible to the world through the indexing of Google Scholar.
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