What You Need to Know to Enter the
Neureuther Student Book Collection
Essay Competition
Purpose
To encourage students at Washington University to read for enjoyment and to develop personal libraries throughout their lives.
Awards
Awards will be given in two categories: graduate and undergraduate. There will be a first- and second-place award for each of the two categories. First prize is $1000.00; second prize is $500.00.
Eligibility
Except for previous Neureuther winners, any full-time, currently registered Washington University student is eligible to participate.
Collection Requirements
The book collection must be owned by the contest entrant. Collections may be of any size and on any subject and should reflect the owner's intellectual, personal or recreational interests.
Criteria for Entry
Entries accepted in Special Collections at Olin Library from 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. weekdays.
All entries must consist of the following elements:
- A completed entry form.
- A formal bibliography to demonstrate a representative
sampling of the book collection. Use an established style
guide, such as The Chicago Manual of Style or The MLA
Handbook or one of the APA Style series. Submit
five copies; one with your name on it, four without.
- An essay. The essay should be typed, double-space, on
white, 8 ½ x 11-inch paper, at least two pages but no
longer than four pages. [See Judging
section, below, for essay criteria]. Submit
five copies; one with your name on it, four without.Attach the essays to the bibliographies for a total of five sets.
- Between three and five books from the collection. Contestants are responsible for delivering their books to Special Collections and for picking them up. The books will be kept in a high-security area; however, the Library and Washington University are not responsible or liable for any materials submitted in the competition.
Judging
Judging of the essay will be based on the theme and scope of the collection, approach to collecting, personal value to the collector, and quality of the writing, but will not be judged on rarity, marketplace value, or size of the collection. Judging will be conducted by a panel of volunteers drawn from the faculty of Washington University and from the St. Louis community.
Notification
Once judging is completed all entrants will be notified by letter. The winners of the competition will be notified at the end of April and invited to attend a lunch with the judges and the Dean of the Libraries. Portions of the winning collections will be displayed in Olin Library for a brief period and the winning essays will be posted on the Libraries' website.