The Rumowicz Maritime Essay Contest
2008

An annual competition open to undergraduates at URI

A thought's logic is like a wind blowing us on,
a series of gusts and jolts.  You think you've got to port, but then
find yourself thrown back out onto the open sea. --Gilles Deleuze

DESCRIPTION: As part of the Edmund and Nathalie Rumowicz Endowed Program in Literature and the Sea, the Maritime Essay Contest encourages undergraduates from all disciplinary backgrounds to submit work that explores and expands our understanding of the subject of the sea. Entries should attempt to engage as diverse an audience as possible, yet approaches may range from creative non-fiction to scholarly research. Each submission will be assessed according to its specific rhetorical goals; generally, however, judges will consider clarity of expression, strength of position, and distinctness of style. Essays crossing traditional models of maritime study and promoting ongoing interaction between different disciplines in the sciences and the humanities are welcome.

FORMAT: The essay should be typed, double-spaced, and between 5 to 20 pages in length, as well as include an original title and all necessary documentation of sources. Please submit three (3) copies of the essay, along with a cover letter providing the author's full name, URI student ID number, email address, phone number, and whether the essay has been previously submitted in a course or seminar. All pages should be numbered, but the name of the author should not appear in the body of the essay. Entries will not be returned.

DEADLINE: Submissions due Friday, March 28, 2008 before 3pm to Michelle Caraccia in the English Department, 114 Independence Hall, 60 Upper College Road, Kingston, RI 02881. Please email all inquiries to Professor Martha Elena Rojas or Professor Matthew Frankel.

ELIGIBILITY: The contest is open to any enrolled undergraduate at URI.

RIGHTS: The Department of English at the University of Rhode Island reserves the rights to publication of any essay submitted in the contest.

For information on winning essays of years past, please visit the Contest ARCHIVE.

Funds for this competition have been provided by Edmund S. and Nathalie Rumowicz
Endowed Literature and Sea Lecture and Seminar Series