MESP Young Scholar Prize

The Middle Eastern Studies Program is now inviting submissions to its annual essay contest, which is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at Syracuse University.

The MESP Young Scholar Prize will be awarded to the best two essays dealing with any aspect of the Middle East written by one undergraduate and one graduate student enrolled at Syracuse University. The authors of the winning papers will be presented with an award of $500 and a certificate.

The entries, which can originate as course papers, will be evaluated by a faculty committee based on originality of research and conceptualization, cogency of argument, and clarity of writing. Essays in the undergraduate category must be no fewer than 2,500 and no more than 5,000 words in length (including bibliography), while the essays in the graduate category must be no fewer than 5,000 and no more than 7,500 words in length (including bibliography), double-spaced. Essays must have been produced between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

Essays can be nominated by the faculty or students (with a letter of support from a faculty member). Please email an electronic copy of the essay as a Word document to Eleanor Langford at evlangfo@syr.edu by April 1, 2024.