Overview:
Eligibility
Both undergraduate and graduate student essays are eligible for consideration. The award is not restricted to students from any specific concentration or department. For the 2018-19 academic year, awards will go to two undergraduate students and one graduate student.
Essay length
The essay word limit is 7,500 words including footnotes and references, and may include images with captions. The essays can but need not focus on photography and films by Gordon Parks but the thesis must addresses the convergence of visual art, justice, race, and citizenship.
Essays must have been written within the last three academic years for any course at Harvard University (within the academic years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019). Students may also submit a chapter of a thesis. Alternatively, current students may submit essays written expressly for the purpose of applying for the award and not related to academic classwork. Essays previously published or under contract for publication are ineligible. The essays can but need not focus on photography and films by Gordon Parks so long as the thesis addresses the convergence of visual art, justice, race, and citizenship
Award
The three selected students will receive a prize of $5,000 each.
Prize jury
The jury is comprised of faculty from the following departments: History of Art and Architecture, African and African American Studies, and Visual and Environmental Studies.
Deadline
Essays should be submitted to CARAT by Monday, March 25, 2019. Announcement of the award recipients will occur at the end of April.
Questions pertaining to the Gordon Parks Foundation Essay Prize at Harvard may be directed to:
Feven Girmay, Undergraduate Studies and ALP Program Coordinator
Office: Barker Center, 2nd Floor, 231A
Email: fevengirmay@fas.harvard.edu
Phone: (617) 496-8545
Specific questions will be forwarded to the Parks Prize committee chair.