The Writing Center awards Phyllis C. Whitesell Prizes to recognize excellent student writing in the General Education curriculum. One prize is awarded for writing in a course that fulfills the Connections 1 requirement.
Writers who wish to enter the competition must revise their work for submission and, as part of that process, must work with a student Writing Assistant from the Writing Center on at least one occasion (which may be before or after the piece has been submitted for a grade).
Whitesell Prize winners each receive
- a $200 cash award
- and featured placement in the Writing Center's annual publication Best of the Whitesell Prize booklet
Honorable Mention essay writers each receive
- a $75 cash award
- and publication in the Best of the Whitesell Prize booklet
How To Submit
- Visit the Writing Center at least once to work on your essay.
- Email your essay to writingcenter@fandm.edu.
- Include a graded copy and prompt if available.
- All finalists will need to sign a release form.
Connections 1 Category
CNX1 submissions are due by 10:00 p.m. on December 18th, 2022.
In the Spring 2023 semester, the Center will notify finalists for the prize. Those writers will be given the opportunity to further refine their essays.
Connections 1 submissions must have been written during the Fall 2022 semester.
Previous Winning Essays
Here are examples of past years' winning Whitesell Prize essays: