Frequently Asked Questions
. . . about the Bowdoin Prizes for Graduate Students
Eligibility
1. Competitors for the Bowdoin Prizes for graduate students must be in residence. How is “in residence” defined?
Essay
2. Are submissions for the Bowdoin Prize for Graduate Essays in the English Language limited to topics having to do with the study of English?
3. What does the pseudonym requirement entail?
4. How should students format their submission’s title page?
5. Is the use of AI allowed in the composition or editing of a Bowdoin Prize essay?
6. Is an AI statement required?
7. Should the essay submitted for the prize be double-spaced or single-spaced?
8. Are figures (conceptual/schematic rather than technical data) allowed?
9. Does the 7,500 word limit include all footnotes, bibliographical information, and captions?
10. May a student submit a co-authored essay for a Bowdoin Prize?
11. Where can one find examples of past winning Bowdoin essays?
Application
12. How does a student apply for the Bowdoin Prizes for Graduate Essays in the English Language or for Graduate Essay in the Natural Sciences?
13. May a graduate student submit essays to more than one Bowdoin Prize category?
14. May a student submit more than one essay for a Bowdoin Prize in a given year?
15. May a student resubmit an essay previously submitted for a Bowdoin Prize?
16. Is a prize deadline dependent on the location of the person submitting materials for a prize?
17. May students make changes to their applications once they have been submitted?
18. If students encounter difficulty applying for the prize, may they request an extension?
Notification
19. When will the prize winners be notified?
Eligibility
1. Competitors for the Bowdoin Prizes for graduate students must be in residence. How is “in residence” defined?
For the purposes of the Bowdoin Prizes for graduate students, “in residence” means that a competitor has been registered as a graduate student in a degree program at Harvard since the beginning of the academic year. Traveling scholars, November degree candidates, and special students are not included within these parameters.
Essay
2. Are submissions for the Bowdoin Prize for Graduate Essays in the English Language limited to topics having to do with the study of English?
No. “Essays in the English Language” refers to essays written in English.
3. What does the pseudonym requirement entail?
Essays submitted for a Bowdoin Prize must be anonymized. Applicants must include on the title page a pseudonym that fully conceals their identity. Applicants must also remove any identifying information, such as name or initials, from the document.
4. How should students format their submission’s title page?
Each submission to the Bowdoin Prize must have a title page that conforms to the required specifications of the prize, including a one-sentence epitome of the essay and a word count. For further information, please refer to title page templates on the Graduate Essays in the English Language page or the Graduate Essay in the Natural Sciences page.
5. Is the use of AI allowed in the composition or editing of a Bowdoin Prize essay?
The use of AI is forbidden in the composition and editing of Bowdoin Prize essays. Each word of a submitted essay must be a student’s own work.
6. Is an AI statement required?
Yes. Students applying to the Bowdoin Prize are required to submit an AI statement outlining any use of AI in the preparation phase of their essay. This statement should be on page two of the submitted document directly behind the title page. If the student did not use AI, the statement should indicate as such.
7. Should the essay submitted for the prize be double-spaced or single-spaced?
Double-spaced is the preferred format for all works submitted to the Prize Office.
8. Are figures (conceptual/schematic rather than technical data) allowed?
Figures that help the reader understand the essay are allowed. Any captions count toward the 7,500 word limit.
9. Does the 7,500 word limit include all footnotes, bibliographical information, and captions?
Yes. The 7,500 word limit includes all footnotes, captions, and bibliographic content, but does not include the title page or the AI statement.
10. May a student submit a co-authored essay for a Bowdoin Prize?
No. The Bowdoin Prizes are designed to recognize the efforts of individual authors; therefore, essays written in collaboration with others are not eligible for submission.
11. Where can one find examples of past winning Bowdoin essays?
Past winning Bowdoin essays are available at the Harvard University Archives. Questions about access to these essays should be addressed directly to the Archives at archives_reference at harvard.edu.
Application
12. How does a student apply for the Bowdoin Prizes for Graduate Essays in the English Language or for Graduate Essay in the Natural Sciences?
Submissions for the Bowdoin Prizes for Graduate Essays in the English Language or for Graduate Essay in the Natural Sciences are accepted online via the Prize Office’s website. Click on the “Apply Here” link on the relevant prize description page to submit an essay.
13. May a graduate student submit essays to more than one Bowdoin Prize category?
No. A graduate student must choose whether to submit an essay to the Bowdoin Prize for Graduate Essays in the English Language or the Bowdoin Prize for Graduate Essay in the Natural Sciences in a given year.
14. May a student submit more than one essay for a Bowdoin Prize in a given year?
No. A student may only submit one essay for a Bowdoin Prize in a given year.
15. May a student resubmit an essay previously submitted for a Bowdoin Prize?
No. A student may not submit an essay for a Bowdoin Prize more than once.
16. Is a prize deadline dependent on the location of the person submitting materials for a prize?
No. All application materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the day of the deadline. Prize Office deadlines are strictly observed.
17. May students make changes to their applications once they have been submitted?
No. Once an application has been submitted, no changes can be made to any part of it. Students are advised to review their applications carefully before clicking the “submit” button.
18. If students encounter difficulty applying for the prize, may they request an extension?
No. Competitors are responsible for ensuring that their application materials are complete and submitted to the Prize Office by 11:59 p.m. on the day of the deadline. No extensions are granted.
Notification
19. When will the prize winners be notified?
Graduate student competitors will be notified of the prize committee’s decision via email early in the spring term.