Participate in the 2025 Neureuther Essay Competition by Washington University. Submit by March 7!
Now in its 37th year, this contest honors Carl Neureuther, a 1940 graduate of the School of Business, who established an endowed book fund to promote reading for pleasure. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students, the contest invites participants to write short essays about their personal book collections. Whether your collection is focused on science fiction, cookbooks, literary criticism, or queer comics, it’s the passion behind your collection that matters most.
Except for previous Neureuther winners, any full-time, student is eligible to participate. Students enter by filling out an entry form and uploading a two- to four-page essay and a bibliography of their collection. Collections of any size and on any subject are eligible. Judging is based on collection description, personal value, and writing quality.
The competition offers four cash awards:
Students can submit their essays electronically through the contest’s online portal. The entry must include:
Essays will be evaluated by judges from the faculty and university community based on:
Interested participants can submit through this link.
Submit your entry by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 7, 2025.
