Tired of simply receiving a letter grade for your essays?

SAGE Publishing is offering the “What’s Your Story” essay contest to all students who are currently enrolled in a political science course for the 2016-17 school year. The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000, while two runner-ups will receive $500.  

Written entries should be 500-1000 words while video entries should be three-five minutes long.

Prompts:

• How has politics affected you or your family?
• How has a law, or the lack of one, changed your life?
• How have you been involved in a social movement?

Winners will also be featured in a later edition of “American Government: Stories of a Nation,” written by associate professor of political science Scott F. Abernathy. According to the SAGE Publishing website, “Each chapter features real stories illustrating how the American political system is the product of strategies, calculations, and miscalculations of countless individuals.”  

The deadline for submission is May 1 by 11:59 p.m.

Ross Mellman is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] .