Center for Law and Government

Writing Competition

The Center for Law and Government announces the 2009 Peterson Prize National Writing Competition on the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution for Professors and Scholars.

Topic

The paper shall address one or more issues, historic or contemporary, involving the principles underlying the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Examples include principles and/or application of federalism, the allocation of powers and responsibilities between the states, the federal government and the people, or other aspects of state and federal relations in the American democratic experiment. The competition seeks papers with diverse and unique perspectives on federalism, broadly conceived; case-analyses are not preferred.

Eligibility

The contest is open to scholars and professors of law, history, political science or related disciplines. All entries must be the original, unpublished work of the applicant, but may have been prepared in connection with ongoing or prior research, including a presentation at a scholarly conference. By submitting an entry, the applicant agrees to the terms of the competition and to publication of the paper in the Willamette Law Review if selected as a finalist (right of first refusal resting with the Willamette Law Review). The applicant agrees not to submit the paper for publication by any journal or review until the completion of the competition. Entries written by multiple authors are acceptable and are governed by the same rules of eligibility.

Awards

First place
$5,000
Second place
$3,000
Third place
$2,000

Format

The applicant must submit one printed copy of the paper with a removable cover sheet as described below. In addition, the applicant must submit one electronic copy of the paper on disk (either in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format).

The cover page of the paper shall include the title of the paper, the author's name and title, the author's institutional affiliation, the author's signature, the author's current mailing address and phone number. The author's name (and other identifying data) should appear only on the cover page of the paper. The title of the paper and page numbering should appear at the top of every page. (Copies of the paper will go to the judges who will not know the names or schools of the entrants). The paper should also include an abstract at the beginning of the paper.

The paper must be printed on 8½x11" white paper, double-spaced, one inch margins, and with at least 12 point type. The font shall be Times or Times New Roman. Citations must be in endnote (not footnote) form, single-spaced, with at least 10-point type and in accord with the current edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. Papers shall not exceed 60 pages in length, excluding endnotes.

Any violation of the rules in this section or elsewhere in this notice is grounds for disqualification. Entry constitutes certification by the applicant that the applicant is eligible to participate and that the paper conforms to the rules of the competition.

Judging

Entries will be blind-judged by a panel of judges appointed by the Willamette Center for Law and Government. The Willamette Center for Law and Government invites papers from all viewpoints. Papers will be judged for their scholarly content not any particular political or partisan position. Papers will be evaluated based on the following criteria: adherence to the designated topic; depth and rigor of the analysis and reasoning; quality and clarity of writing, and originality. The determination of the judges' panel is final. The Willamette Center for Law and Government reserves the right to decline making awards in this competition should none of the entries merit the award.

All entrants will be notified of the results by mail by August 15, 2009.

Deadline and Submission of Entries

The deadline for submission is March 15, 2009. Entries postmarked after the deadline will not be considered.

Entries should be mailed to:

Willamette Center for Law and Government

Willamette University College of Law

245 Winter Street SE, Salem, OR 97301

Submissions will not be returned to the authors. The Willamette Center for Law and Government has permission to copy, reprint or print all papers submitted.

Contact

Questions may be directed to Reyna Meyers at 503-370-6046.

Past Recipients