The George Gund Award is a $2,500 award given at Honors Day for an exceptional essay on the American republic. The submission deadline is midnight, February 25, 2025.
2025 Essay Prompt
In the United States, a democratic republic was established in the U.S. Constitution and fine-tuned through generations of political debate, competition and struggle; constitutional amendment; jurisprudence; and evolving norms among political elites. Today, many observers fear this democratic republic is in decline (although those observers may differ in what they perceive as the cause and the evidence for that decline).
Write a scholarly essay, in which you focus on one institution, right, norm or policy area, where you see the constitutional values and practices of the United States weakened, under attack, or sliding backward, today. Define and provide evidence for how democratic principles or processes are at risk and then propose a resolution. What kinds of action — by civil society, by elected leaders, by the courts — are needed, and feasible, to reverse the decline?
Academic Honesty
All essays should be the original work of the individual student author, without use of Artificial Intelligence or input from family, friends, or advisors. (A revision of an essay previously submitted to a course is acceptable, if it addresses the assigned topic.) This is not a research paper, but you do need to use citations and quotation marks, when academic standards require them. Be sure to read the details on eligibility, submission instructions and judging criteria..
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you mean by a “scholarly essay”?
“A scholarly essay” is free of diatribe, preaching, undefined assumptions, partisanship,
glibness, contractions and slang, and it does not assume that the reader agrees with
your premises. “Scholarly” means your argument is based on carefully defined terms;
clear reasoning; reference to the research literature or academic concepts; use of
comparative, historical, and/or empirical evidence to support arguments; and
consideration of alternative arguments to your own. Scholarly means proper citation of
ideas, quotations, or data from other sources.
Do I need a title for my essay?
Yes. For this prize and under nearly all other circumstances, authors should give their
work an engaging title indicative of the content.
Can I use Generative Artificial Intelligence?
No. You must organize, draft, find evidence for, compose and revise this essay by
yourself without AI. You may use LBIS K-search to find needed sources and you may
use a spellchecker and a bibliography-formatting program (eg., Zotero or RefWorks) for
any footnotes.
What counts in the word count?
Citations and the title do not count toward the word limit. Explanatory footnotes — which are not expected, but are allowed — do count toward the word limit.
Can I use “I”?
Yes. Essays may be written in first or third person.