Women’s History is inextricably linked to American history, as women of all backgrounds have made incredible contributions to the advancement of our nation. In collaboration with the National Women’s History Project, we encourage reflection on the theme: “Our History is Our Strength”.  In that vein, we invite graduate students, undergraduate students and IU staff to select one or more women that they consider to be leaders and explain how their lives and achievements are important in helping our generation to better face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for us as a global society. Women as well as men of all backgrounds are encouraged to participate.

Rules:

• Essays may describe any contemporary or historical woman (or women).
• An undergraduate, graduate student or staff member at Indiana University is eligible to participate and a winner will be selected from each category.
• Only an individual student or staff writer may contribute an essay.
• The essays must be written in paragraph format, be no more than 1000 words in length, double spaced, type-written and in a 12-point font if typed on a computer.

Information for Submissions:

• Name, status, e-mail address, major, telephone number and address of the writer.
• Essays may be submitted in person or electronically to owa@indiana.edu, with the subject line: Women’s History Month Essay. The essays submitted via e-mail must be in MS Word format and sent to the OWA address via attachment.
• Completed essays can also be sent in person or by mail to: Memorial Hall East, Room 122, Office for Women’s Affairs (OWA), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. 47405.
• Please keep a copy of ALL submissions.
• Submitted essays for the contest automatically become the property of the Office for Women’s Affairs (OWA).
• The decision of the judges and the sponsoring campus units are final.
• Essays received via email will be confirmed via email within 24 business hours. If receipt is not confirmed via email, please call 812-855-3849.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Essays will be judge on whether or not they address the contest theme and also the extent to which they reflect concise use of grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
• Content must include relevant information that is authentic and pertinent to the theme.
• Essays must, to an extent, be based on research information and not merely on opinion.