Writing Competition

The op-ed competition will award three (3) winners and recognize an additional three (3) honorable mentions. All finalists will be invited to and recognized at an awards ceremony. Prizes are:

Winners:

• Three cash prizes ($1,500, $1,000, $750). 
• Conversations with editors of leading publications (TBA)

Honorable Mentions: $75

Entries will be judged by professors from NYU's EWP. Top entries will be shared with editors from leading national publications that run feature opinion and editorial sections.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be first vetted to ensure they meet formal requirements (word count, citation, original work). Entries that do not meet these requirements will not be considered for a prize. Entries that meet these requirements will be scored on the following criteria:

• Originality and urgency: The essay brings something new to the conversation in climate change and sustainability; the argument is timely and newsworthy.
• Voice and motive: The essay is written in a compelling voice; we understand why the writer is writing the essay; we understand they have good reasons for doing so.
• Evidence-based claims: The essay makes claims grounded in well-sourced evidence and logical analysis.
• Structure: The essay has a well-defined beginning, middle, and end, with effective transitions between sections, paragraphs, and sentences.
• Writing style: The essay follows genre conventions of the op-ed, short paragraphs, and sentences that are clear, concise, correct, and free of jargon.

What is an Op-Ed? Why write one?

Writers across and beyond academia write opinion essays (aka op-eds, editorials) to make urgent public arguments. The best examples of op-eds are clear, concise, persuasive, evidence-based, and, above all, written in the writer’s distinctive voice. In a good op-ed, the writer anticipates readers and avoids jargon. Sometimes, opinion essays are professional in tone and written in the third-person. Sometimes, opinion essays are informal and draw intensely on the writer’s personal stories. They often, but do not always, conclude with a call to action or thought, asking the reader to do or think something new.

The goal of an opinion essay, per long-time former New York Times opinion editor David Shipley, is for the writer to bring a new idea and fresh perspective to a publication’s audience. (You can read his essay here). Through syndication and social media, opinion essays have the potential to be read far beyond their original publication. And so you, as a writer, have the potential for your voice and ideas to reach the world.

I've never written an Opinion Essay. What do I do?

Register for a free workshop on March 23 from 5:00-6:00pm, conducted over Zoom, with NYU writing professors on how to write an op-ed.