The 2004 Moffatt Prize in Economic Writing

Are you interested in doing graduate work in economics or in getting a job after you graduate? Of course you are! The problem is that being in school for your whole life can leave your resume a little lacking. If only you could put something on your job or school application that put you head and shoulders above the other contenders!

Here’s your chance to prove yourself to prospective employers and graduate programs and win a few bucks at the same time. You could be the winner of “The 2004 Moffatt Prize in Economic Writing” by submitting an article on economics to this site. There will be at least six award winners but even candidates who do not win will gain something from this contest. Here’s how it works:

1. You Submit an Article on an Economics Topic Before April 31, 2004. This doesn’t have to be anything you created for this contest. Do you have a great economics term paper that is just taking up space on your hard drive? Did you write an interesting article for your school newspaper or for your blog? Why not submit it? You could win! I’m also interested in getting articles created specifically for this contest. I’ll also take into account what level of education the writer has who has submitted the article and I’ll try to give at least one award to a high school student or a college freshman. You don’t have to be a Ph.D. student to win an award! If you think your economic writing deserves to be seen by millions, why not submit it?

2. I Read Your Article. If I think it’s worthy to be posted on the site, it will be posted online within a week of my receiving it. All articles posted before April 31, 2004 will be eligible for the 2004 prize.

   Even if you do not win a prize you will gain from having your article posted on Economics at About.com. Your article will be read by thousands and by posting an article on the site, you automatically become a “Guest Economics Writer for Economics at About.com”, a title which you can include on your resume or CV.

3. Sometime before May 31st I Announce The Winners. All entries will be judged by me. But in addition, I will post a link that will allow readers to send their opinions of the articles. I will take these into account when I make my decision.

Prizes

Before May 31st I will award the following prizes:
First Place: $100
Second Place: $75
Third Place: $50
Honorable Mention: $25

I will award a minimum of three honorable mention prizes so there will be at least six winners of the contest. I’ll also provide the winners with a certificate which details their accomplishment.

What I’m Looking For

There are three things any article I post on the site must possess:

1. It must be interesting, well written, and not contain glaring spelling or grammatical errors.

2. It must be in some way related to economics. Issues like baseball player salaries, the effect file sharing is having on the recording industry, and globalization are certainly related to economics.

3. It must follow economic reasoning and there cannot be any large logical errors. This is the most important of the three.

Rules

Eligibility: Anyone other than me and my immediately family is eligible to enter.

Author Rights: Unlike most contests, you retain full copyright and ownership of the material you submit. You are free to submit the material in any other format you wish, but we reserve the right to keep your material posted on the site until April 30, 2005. About.com and Mike Moffatt, Economics Guide, retain non-exclusive rights until April 31, 2005 to archive your article on the site and all other rights as stated in the disclaimer below, which you must submit to be published. After that date we will remove any and all material submitted at your request. At no point do you lose your rights to your work.

How to Enter

Send an e-mail to economics@aboutguide.com that contains the following:

1. The e-mail title “Entry For The Moffatt Prize In Economic Writing”

2. Your entry in Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, or other format.

3. A two to four sentence biography about yourself. Two examples can be found here and here.

4. The following disclaimer, which you must paste into your e-mail: "I certify that I am the author or sole owner of the material I am submitting to About.com. About.com and its licensees may reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works and otherwise use the material for any purpose in any form and on any media. I agree to indemnify About.com for all damages and expenses that may be incurred in connection with the material."

Good luck!

Mike Moffatt
Economics Guide at About.com