The Norton Writer’s Prize recognizes outstanding original nonfiction by undergraduates. The contest is open to students age 17 and above who are enrolled in an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university during the 2019-2020 academic year. Three cash prizes of $1,000 apiece will be awarded in 2020 for coursework submitted during the academic year, one in each of the following three categories:
- Writing by a first-year student in a 2- or 4-year college or university
- Writing by a student in a 2-year college or university
- Writing by a student in a 4-year college or university
Submissions must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words in length. Literacy narratives, literary and other textual analyses, reports, profiles, evaluations, arguments, memoirs, proposals, multimodal pieces, and other forms of original non-fiction will be considered if written by a student age 17 or above in fulfillment of an undergraduate course requirement at an eligible institution. Entries submitted in accordance with the Official Contest Rules will be considered for all applicable prizes, but no more than one prize will be awarded to any single entry. Current and former students of individuals acting as judges are not eligible to enter or win, and any entry recognized by any of the judges will be automatically disqualified.
The deadline for submissions is June 15, 2020.
For Contest Rules, Eligibility, and Instructions
For full contest rules, eligibility, and instructions on how to enter, please see The Norton Writer’s Prize: Official Contest Rules—click here for official contest rules.
Employees of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (“Sponsor”), including Sponsor’s corporate affiliates and subsidiaries, as well as such individuals’ children and persons living in any of their households are not eligible to enter; nor are authors published by Sponsor, children of Sponsor’s authors, previous contest winners (including runners-up) and persons living in their respective households. Void where prohibited. Must be 17 or older at the time of entry. Other restrictions apply.
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