The University of Missouri provides many opportunities for students to showcase their writing abilities through essay contests held throughout the school year. From contests focused on particular classes or majors to those open to all students, these essay writing competitions allow motivated Tigers to put their best writing forward for the chance to win cash prizes or other awards.
One of the largest and most prestigious essay contests held each year at Mizzou is the Trulaske Essay Competition. Sponsored by the Trulaske College of Business, this contest is open to all currently enrolled undergraduates regardless of major. Students are asked to respond to a business-related prompt by crafting an original 1,500-2,000 word essay. Past prompts have explored ethics in emerging technologies, global supply chain challenges, and sustainability in the workplace.
The Trulaske Essay Competition offers significant prizes, with the top three essays each winning $2,500, $1,500, and $1,000 respectively. Additionally, all finalists have their essays published on the Trulaske College of Business website, providing exposure that could help students crafting their resumes and portfolios. The competition is held annually in the spring semester, with essays due by early April and winners announced at an award ceremony in May. Application requires basic identifying information as well as uploading the finished essay as a Word or PDF document by the deadline.
Another large contest open to all undergrads is the Reynolds Journalism Institute Essay Competition. This competition, run through Mizzou’s journalism school, tasks students with responding to a prompt analyzing an issue in modern journalism or media. Past prompts have addressed fake news, changing models of local news coverage, and the role of technology in shaping information consumption. Like the Trulaske contest, the RJI competition calls for 1,500-2,000 word essays to be submitted during the spring semester for the chance to win cash prizes of $2,000, $1,000, or $500.
Winners are also honored at an awards ceremony and luncheon hosted by the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Application mirrors that of the Trulaske contest, with essayists providing basic details and uploading their finished pieces. While the journalism focus may appeal most to communication majors, the RJI competition remains open to undergrads from any academic background looking to showcase their analytical writing skills on a timely media topic. Both the Trulaske and RJI contests accept revised essays previously written for class assignments, though papers must be polished and revised to meet the standards of a standalone competition entry.
In addition to these large university-wide contests, many academic departments and programs at Mizzou also sponsor their own annual essay competitions for relevant writing. For example, the College of Arts and Science puts on the A&S Essay Competition each spring aimed specifically at humanities and social science majors. Students are asked to write a 3,500-5,000 word research paper exploring topics within these disciplines for a chance to win awards up to $2,000.
Meanwhile, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources holds an essay contest in the fall focused on agriculture, natural resources, or related social issues important to rural communities. Prizes range from $500 to $1500 for undergrads crafting 1,500-3,000 word responses. Additional targeted essay competitions exist through programs like the School of Social Work, the Interdisciplinary Center for Global Studies, and individual academic departments across campus. These contests offer valuable incentives for excellence specifically within concentrated fields of study.
Smaller localized contests also take place. For example, individual student organizations may sponsor annual writing challenges on specific themes or community issues. Additionally, many learning communities and living-learning programs at Mizzou host their own essay or research paper competitions for member students. Prizes tend to be more modest but provide focused opportunities to engage intellectual questions within close-knit academic communities. Regardless of award amounts, all organized essay writing contests at Mizzou carry valuable resume and networking potential for participating students.
Effective essays for university contests demonstrate strong research, analysis, and written communication skills on compelling contemporary topics. General requirements state papers must be well-structured with clear thesis statements, logical organization, and citation of credible sources per style guides. Competing essays often integrate both practical knowledge and theoretical perspectives to engage readers on multifaceted issues. Editing, proofreading, and following all formatting instructions closely helps essays stand out amongst competition submissions as well-polished works.
For students aiming to enter essay writing contests, thorough preparation serves as the best approach. Carefully reading each competition’s guidelines confirms eligibility, clarifies expectations, and rules out disqualifying factors. Starting early allows sufficient time for comprehensive research, outline drafting, multiple writing and revising stages, and quality proofreading. Identifying essay prompts as early as possible also gives writers flexibility to tailor previously drafted class assignments according to contest needs and specifications when permissible. Reaching out to program contacts with any submission questions helps avoid problematic misunderstandings.
Overall, the numerous essay writing competitions hosted through the University of Missouri each year present motivated Tigers with excellent prospects for practicing and showcasing academic talents. Whether targeting general university audiences or specific fields of interest, essay contests offer meaningful incentives to develop strong research, analytical thinking, and communication abilities. For dedicated student writers, entering high-quality submissions reflects well on individual work ethics and holds promising chances to take home pride and recognition and their creative skills. Participating openly in such organized challenges ultimately enriches campus academic communities at Mizzou.
Andrew Stroud