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Multiple Danforth campus libraries will be closed and inaccessible to patrons from December 21 until January 2. Read on for more details. 

Master of Fine Arts in Illustration and Visual Culture (MFA-IVC) students investigating materials from Special Collections as a part of their Exhibition & Engagement course.
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Fifth Annual Sato Research Competition Now Open

By WashU Libraries

For the fifth year, the WashU Libraries are excited to announce the call for entries for the  Mendel Sato Research Award designed to engage students’ research with collections from the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections. The Mendel Sato Research Award seeks submissions from students who are engaged in original research with special collections materials in courses taught in departments on the Danforth Campus of WashU.

Special Collections is interested in a broad scope of projects and methods and can range from film to book arts and beyond. Projects can be in any medium, from written papers to multimedia projects. We encourage bold applications of research that help us understand our holdings in innovative new ways.

Award Details

Each winning student will receive a prize of $500.00. Awards are subject to taxes.

Winning projects and essays will be preserved in the Libraries’ Open Scholarship Institutional Repository with access open to the public. The Libraries will display the names of the winning students and their faculty mentors, and the information will be published on the Libraries’ website and in promotional printed materials.

Eligible Students

Any WashU student at any class level in any discipline who has completed a research project in any format using materials from Special Collections for a credit course during summer 2024 and fall 2024, or spring 2025 semesters is eligible to participate in the 2024–2025 competition. Only one project per course may be submitted. A group project can be submitted for the competition. If selected, the prize money will be divided evenly between the project participants. 

Key Dates

  • Submission Deadline: May 16, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. for projects completed in courses during the academic year
  • Winner Notification: June 13, 2025

For more details about the award and application process, visit the Sato Research Award page. Apply for the Mendel Sato Research Award via the Sato Award Application Portal.