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NLU Essay Submission

All essays must be submitted by Monday, April 15, 2024, before 12:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. Late essays will not be considered for the contest. The top winner of the essay contest will be announced and asked to read their essay aloud during the NebraskaLand University Graduation on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Rules & Guidelines

  1. The first page of your submission should be a cover page containing the following:
    1. Full Name
    2. Title of Your Essay
    3. Full Word Count (not counting cover page)
    Each additional page will need to include the following
    1. Page Number
    2. Title of Your Essay
    3. Session Topic Chosen
    4. Word Count (not counting cover page)
  2. Your essay must be at least 400 words but not longer than 500 words. It should be typed as a double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font.
  3. If you use outside sources, you must include correctly formatted citations and a bibliography at the end of your submission that is not included in the word count. All essays without proper citations will be disqualified. Plagiarism is an automatic disqualification.
  4. Remember your name should not appear anywhere on the document except on the cover page.

Judging Criteria

Judging will take place at NebraskaLand Bank. A panel of judges will review each of the submitted essays in a blind format to determine the top three essay writers. The top three essay writers will receive $1,000.00, $750.00, and $500.00 accordingly. Your essay will be judged based on the following criteria:

  • Word Range: Is your essay written within the 400 – 500 word range?
  • Clear Focus / Main Point: Is your essay on topic? Does it provide a comprehensive response to each aspect of the prompt?
  • Supportive and Developed Reasons / Examples: Do you use a variety of sources and ideas that persuasively support the main point with well-developed reasons and/or examples? Do you cite your sources properly?
  • Organization & Format: Did you effectively organize your ideas to build a logical flow of paragraphs and transitions?
  • Language Use & Format: Is your writing effectively used to enhance meaning?
  • Conventions – Grammar, Spelling & Punctuation: Is your essay grammatically and mechanically correct?

Questions?

Contact Danielle Remus or Evonne Keck at NLUniversity@NLNB.com or call 308.534.2100.

Submit Your Essay

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