Dartmouth College ELSI Institute :: Ethics Competitions

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Essay Contest is an annual competition that is designed to challenge college students to analyze the urgent ethical issues confronting them in today's complex world. Students are encouraged to write thought provoking, personal essays.

                                       Awards...

                             First Prize       -    $ 5,000
                             Second Prize -      $ 2,500
                             Third Prize      -      $ 1,500
                  Two Honorable Mentions - $ 500 each

Full-time undergraduate juniors and seniors at accredited colleges and universities in the US are welcome to enter the 2007 Essay Contest. The essay should be 3,000 to 4,000 words, and developed from any point of view - it may take the form of an analysis that is biographical, historical, literary, philosophical, psychological, sociological or theological. Suggested essay topics:

How is ethics a source of hope, and hope a source of ethics?
Examine the ethical aspects or implications of a major literary work, a film, or a significant piece of art.
What is terrorism and what is the ethical response to it?
Reflect on the most profound moral dilemma you have encountered and analyze what is has taught you about ethics.

The Phillips Family Award in Ethics is presented annually to an undergraduate student from Dartmouth College who has successfully demonstrated strength and interest in applied and professional ethics. Work may be in specific areas, such as medical or legal ethics, or in the broader arena of ethics applied to public life. A $500 prize is awarded to the winning paper.

The prize was established in 1990 by Gerald Phillips ('47), (Tuck '47) and Howard Phillips ('51), (Tuck '52) to honor their parents and by Stacy Phillips ('80) to honor her grandparents, Helen and Louis Phillips.

Essays/papers or projects must be completed during the current year (Spring 07 term through the Spring '08 term).
Deadline for submission is Friday, April 18, 2008.
Essays/papers or projects may be submitted independent of a specific course or faculty member.
Papers or projects reports must be typed, double-spaced, with all citations and references clearly noted.
Maximum page length (12 point font): 20 pages. No minimum length.
Include a brief cover letter with submission that includes your name, year, major, telephone number, how, where and when we may contact you, and any other relevant information (i.e., your particular interests in applied and professional ethics, previous related work experiences and courses, etc.)
No name or identifying references (i.e. professor or author's name) may appear on the title page or anywhere in the paper. Submissions will be judged anonymously, by a committee appointed by the Faculty Advisory Board of the Ethics Institute. Our office will put a numerical code on your paper.
The winning essay/paper or project report may be reproduced, in whole or in part, on the Ethics Institute’s website. Submission of a paper gives permission for it to appear in the Ethics Institute news brochure News Update.

Submit Papers To:
Aine Donovan
Ethics Institute
6031 Haldeman Center, Room 254
(603) 646-1263