Texas Tech University

Student Competition Guidelines

Competition Closed.

"Food and..." Conference
Texas Tech University
March 29-31, 2018

Humanities Center Student Prizes for Creative and Scholarly Work on the Theme of "Food and ..."


The Humanities Center at Texas Tech University announces a competition for undergraduate and graduate students for scholarly and for arts work related to our 2017-18 theme, "Food and ...."

The competition, open to all TTU students, seeks creative projects and scholarly essays that deal with the theme in innovative ways. We will offer prizes of $250 to both a graduate and an undergraduate student in each of two categories (four prizes in all): for literary or other creative arts work and for a scholarly paper. In addition, the Humanities Center will feature the winners at its annual conference to be held March 29-31, 2018.

In considering their projects and papers, students are encouraged think broadly and creatively about the topic. Ways into the "what" following the ellipsis in "Food and..." may fall into myriad categories: culture, literature, politics, environment, technology, health, malnutrition, access, education, inequities, media representations, depictions in fine art, sustainability, ecology(s), local food, translation, small scale agriculture, agribusiness, taboo, packaging, eating disorders, marketing, terroir, and gastronomy. This list is not exhaustive and we encourage students to challenge existing notions of food and its impact.

To learn more about the 2017-18 annual theme, please visit "Food and...." Also, consider attending some of the events associated with the annual theme listed on the website.

Prize Guidelines:
In general, students may submit projects or papers that they have developed and written over the normal course of the semester (i.e., research paper or final project for a class) but need not do so. We would also encourage students to seek out a faculty member to help guide their work.

Category 1: Literary and Creative Arts
Undergraduate Prize: Written work (with the exception of scripts meant for performance) must be no longer than 10 pages (12 pt. font, doubled-spaced, 1 inch margins; poems or collections of poems need not follow these formatting restrictions but should not exceed the page limit). Performance pieces should last no longer than 20 minutes and should not require elaborate props, scenery, or major electronic assistance. Works of plastic art (including paintings, photographs, sculptures, etc.) must be portable and not require a special case or special lighting. The Humanities Center cannot assist with the purchase of materials or the organization of the production of performance pieces. If you are planning to enter your work for this prize, we ask that you submit a short description (no more than 250 words) via email by December 1, 2017 to humanitiescenter@ttu.edu. In this document, please include a title, your name and major/degree sought. Use the subject line Food Student Competition ARTS [your last name]. Final projects are to be submitted and/or performed by January 31, 2018. In the case of plays or compositions, a script or digital recording is suggested.

Graduate Prize: Written work (with the exception of scripts meant for performance) must be no longer than 20 pages (12 pt. font, doubled-spaced, 1 inch margins; poems or collections of poems need not follow these formatting restrictions, but should not exceed the page limit). Performance pieces should last no longer than 20 minutes and should not require elaborate props, scenery, or major electronic assistance. Works of plastic art (including paintings, photographs, sculptures, etc.) must be portable and not require a special case or special lighting. The Humanities Center cannot assist with the purchase of materials or the organization of the production of performance pieces. If you are planning to enter your work for this prize, we ask that you submit a short description (no more than 250 words) via email by December 1, 2017 to humanitiescenter@ttu.edu. In this document, please include a title, your name and major/degree sought. Use the subject line Food Student Competition ARTS [your last name]. Final projects are to be submitted and/or by January 31, 2018. In the case of plays or compositions, a script or digital recording is suggested.

Category 2: Scholarly Paper
Undergraduate Prize: Student papers should communicate from the outset the significance of the thesis to the broad topic of food. In addition, papers should be well-documented, clearly argued, grammatically correct, and of no more than 10 pages (12 pt. font, doubled-spaced, 1 inch margins). If you are planning to enter your work for this prize, we ask that you submit a short abstract (no more than 250 words) via email by December 1, 2017 to humanitiescenter@ttu.edu. Use the subject line Food Student Competition SCHOLARLY [your last name] In this document, please include a title, your name and major/degree sought. Final papers are to be submitted as a PDF to the same email address by January 31, 2018.

Graduate Prize: Student papers should communicate from the outset the significance of the thesis to the broad topic of food. In addition, papers should be well-documented, clearly argued, grammatically correct, and of no more than 20 pages (12 pt. font, doubled-spaced, 1 inch margins). If you are planning to enter your work for this prize, we ask that you submit a short abstract (no more than 250 words) via email by December 1, 2017 to humanitiescenter@ttu.edu. Use the subject line Food Student Competition SCHOLARLY [your last name] In this document, please include a title, your name and major/degree sought. Final papers are to be submitted as a PDF to the same email address by January 31, 2018.