Elmira College Writers & Artists Are Invited to Submit to Our Annual Mark Twain Competitions

The Center for Mark Twain Studies is sponsoring two competitions: The 25th Annual Mark Twain Writing Contest & The 2nd Annual “Portraying Mark Twain” Art Competition.

Both contests are open to all Elmira College students. 

The Mark Twain Writing Contest solicits excellent student writing related to Mark Twain, his life, works, and times. Academic essays and creative writing are both strongly encouraged.

All submissions should be typed, double-spaced, and formatted according to MLA style. A submission length of 1000-1500 words is recommended, but submissions of any length will be considered.

The author of the winning essay will receive a $250 cash prize and have their name engraved on the statuette in the entryway of McGraw Hall. Exceptional essayists may be invited to submit to partner journals or to publish on MarkTwainStudies.org. Additional runners-up may also receive cash prizes.

Please submit your essay via email to Dr. Joe Lemak, Director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies ([email protected]). All entries will be judge anonymously by Dr. Matt Seybold, Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 30, 2018

CMTS also sponsors the “Portraying Mark Twain” Art Competition, open to visual artists in all mediums and genres.

A $350 prize pool will be divided between winning entries, which will also be displayed on campus and/or via MarkTwainStudies.org.

Further guidelines for submissions may be found here. The deadline for entry is March 30, 2018.