
Submission Guidelines
October 1, 2023 — March 1, 2024
Essay Topic
As a topic, entrants should select a political issue that is currently in the news. The submission should be a persuasive, fact-based analysis of a timely topic of importance written in the style of an op-ed piece using a civil tone. The essay must be the entrant’s own writing; AI generated text will not be accepted. By way of example, the winning entry of the 2021 contest was entitled Plastics: Their Rise and Fall from Favor.
How to Submit Your Essay
• Essays must be typed and double-spaced using a standard font and font size, such as Arial 11 point or Times New Roman 12 point type.
• Essays must be no more than 825 words; a range of 500 to 800 words is best.
• Essays must not bear the entrant’s name or any other identifying information.
• Email essay and cover letter indicating entrant’s school and contact information,
including home mailing address, phone number, and email address, to rmmcintire@outlook.com.
Be sure to reference George Duncan Essay Contest in the subject line of the email.
• Receipt of submission be acknowledged by email.
• Contest winners will be notified in late March and may be invited to read their entries at the
Monadnock Writers’ Group meeting scheduled for April 20 at the Peterborough Town Library.
This meeting will be open to the public.
Judging Submissions
•The contest will be judged by one or more individuals who have worked in the field of publishing.
• Essays will be scored on the basis of creativity, factual accuracy, grammar, and how well arguments are substantiated.
• Decisions of the judge(s) will be final.