2026 Department of English Undergraduate Essay Contest

UCLA undergraduates completing upper division English courses are invited to compete for the annual Department of English Undergraduate Essay Prize (with a cash award of $100) for the best critical or research paper on a literary subject. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, and be at least 2,000 but not more than 7,500 words long. The paper selected to win the departmental contest will be nominated for the University-wide Peter Rotter and Teague-Melville essay contests, which award prizes of $500.

To be eligible, a student must have written the entry for an upper division English course during the Spring Quarter 2025, Fall Quarter 2025, or Winter Quarter 2026. Only one submission per student will be considered. The writer’s name/course number/instructor name should NOT appear on any page of the essay itself. If the name appears on the essay, the essay will be disqualified. Questions that may arise about application submissions should be sent through MyUCLA MessageCenter (Academic counseling unit: English)

Manuscripts should be submitted no later than 12 Noon Thursday, February 5, 2026.

2026 Department of English Undergraduate Essay Contest Application Form

Name*
University ID Number*
Phone*
Email Address*
Class Standing (First-year, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior)*
English Department Course Number (eg. ENGL 100)*
Quarter Course Was Taken*
Course Instructor (eg. Professor McEachern)*
Essay Upload*
Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 50 MB.

Please upload your essay submission. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, and be at least 2,000 but not more than 7,500 words long. The writer's name should not appear on any page of the essay itself. If the name appears on the essay, the essay will be disqualified.