Today’s blog features two essay contests: the official JASNA Student Essay Contest,
and the ritaLOVEStoWRITE Essay Contest for the rest of us.
JASNA STUDENT ESSAY CONTEST:
Attention: Students at the high school, college and post-graduate levels:
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice, JASNA (The Jane Austen Society of North America) is looking for short essays on the following topic:
“Though Pride and Prejudice may be regarded as timeless, nevertheless within the novel Austen plots her time very carefully. Timing is everything for important relationships and events. And the characters are deeply connected to the time in which they live, which is both like and unlike our times. What do we discover about time, times, or timeliness from reading Pride and Prejudice?”
Title page from the first edition of the first volume of Pride and Prejudice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Judges will be awarding scholarships ranging from $250 to $1000, plus a years membership to JASNA, plus tickets and lodging to the 2013 JASNA Annual General Meeting in Minneapolis. The winning essays will also appear on the JASNA website.
Deadline is May 15, 2013.
Click HERE to go to the JASNA Essay Contest Page for more details.
[Please note that the contest is open to students outside the United States too, but the essay must be written in English.]
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English: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. London: George Allen, 1894, page 5. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ritaLOVEStoWRITE Contest for the rest of us:
So what about the rest of us Pride and Prejudice lovers? Can’t WE write an essay*? Well, sure you can. I’m calling for entries right here and right now.
We too will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of P&P! But guess what? Any one can participate! Couple of RULES here:
- TRY and keep it under 1200 words please.
- The “essay” should be Pride and Prejudice centric.
- Please submit your essay in English.
- Have fun with it!
- Oh, and no pornography == THIS is Austen after all!
English: Français : Une gravure de 1833 illustrant une scène du chapitre 59 du roman Orgueil et Préjugés de Jane Austen. À gauche M. Bennet, à droite Elizabeth. Avec File:Pickering – Greatbatch – Jane Austen – Pride_and_Prejudice – This is not to be borne, Miss Bennet.jpg, il s’agit des toutes premières illustrations de l’œuvre. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Prizes include… All entries will be published in an upcoming special edition of the award-winning ritaLOVEStoWRITE blog. All entries will receive a participation banner for your blog. The top three entries will receive a special “Finalist” banner for their Blog Page, and the top entry will win a Darcy mug! (Please make sure to include an email contact — which I will remove before posting so the whole world doesn’t see it.)
Deadline: 28 January 2013 (That’s the anniversary date of the novel’s publication)
*I seriously encourage you to think outside the box. For you illustrators out there… how about some character studies? Are you a play wright? Why not treat us to a re-imagined scene or two?
AND … Although I’m not going to snark on your intellectual property I strongly suggest you throw a copyright on all your original material in case any one else takes a liking to it.
English: This diagram, or map, illustrates the relationships between each of the main characters in the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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- How to Flirt Jane Austen Style (abullseyeview.com)
- Celebrating Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: 200 Years of Jane Austen’s Masterpiece By Susannah Fullerton (janeaustensworld.wordpress.com)
- Louise West and celebrating “Pride and Prejudice” on Radio Solent (janeaustenshousemuseumblog.com)
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ritaLOVEStoWRITE 
December 14th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
I can not wait to read the entries for this. I love pride and prejudice. It’s one of my favorite novels.
December 14th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Me too. I hope we get a lot of creative writing (and other creative outlets) going this winter break. Are you going to submit anything? …I mean with those fabulous prizes on the line…why wouldn’t you? 😉
December 14th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
I fear that nothing I could write would ever be adequate enough for any type of tribute to Austin. I could not bring myself to destroy such beloved characters with my bumbling ineptness. I’m afraid I’ll just have to stick with my horror stories and micro fiction.
December 14th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Sigh. OK. I think a little flash fiction with Kitty going loco (at being oppressed because what her little sister DID might work though. … Just sayin’. ) 😉
February 11th, 2013 at 4:52 am
UPDATE:
Alas no one took me up on my awesome offer. We had zero contestant s for the ritaLOVEStoWRITE Jane Austen “Essay” Contest for the rest of us. Bummer… I’ve got all these cool fridge magnets and the Darcy mug.