Howell Essay Contest
The Walter S. and Syrena M. Howell Essay Competition is an annual contest that challenges Medill students to discuss “truth gone awry,” in the context of news gathering and dissemination. The winner of the contest is awarded $4,000.
Competition Guidelines
- Find an example (big or small) in current social, political or academic discourse in which journalists have used or misused unverified facts as though they were true.
- Write an essay about the incident(s) in question, the truth as best you can verify it and your analysis of the media's role in the incident.
- Your essay should be no more than 2,500 words; there is no minimum, but your argument must be substantive and sourced. Source lists do not factor into word count.
- All entries, complete with a source list, should be submitted via email and with "HOWELL ESSAY SUBMISSION" in the subject line to the faculty judging committee via Jenna Braunstein (jenna-braunstein@northwestern.edu) by no later than 11:59 p.m. on March 29, 2024.
- Students graduating in 2024 are still eligible to apply.
- For more information, email Karen Springen
(k-springen@northwestern.edu).