The Center for the Study of American Democracy is currently seeking submissions for the George Gund Prize. The deadline is midnight, Saturday, February 15, 2020.
The George Gund Award is a $2,500 cash prize awarded annually at Honors Day for an exceptional essay that examines the American form of republican government as set forth in the United States Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution (Article 2, Section 4) provides that “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors;” that “(t)he House of Representatives…shall have the sole Power of Impeachment (Article 1, Section 2)….(t)he Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments (Article 1, Section 3),” and that “(j)udgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law (Article 1, Section 3).”
This year, the Center for the Study of American Democracy invites essays that consider the role that Presidential impeachment plays in American democracy. Essays may approach impeachment from different perspectives and use both historical and contemporary examples. They should answer questions such as (but not limited to):
Essays are due February 15 at midnight.
Contest Rules and judging considerations
The Gund Prize competition is open to any currently enrolled Kenyon student who has not previously won this contest.
Essay writers may not seek assistance from parents, professors, or off-campus mentors. CSAD screens essays with Turnitin.com to assure intellectual integrity. The faculty panel of judges uses a blind review process, identifying the writer only after determining the winning essay. Therefore, your essay should not have your name on the title page nor on headers. Submit your essay as a Word attachment to an email and put your name in the message line.
The judges look for essays that are analytical, original, focused, and well informed. Writers should avoid platitudes, abstractions, partisanship, polemics, or speculation. The essay should be current, yet have enduring value. While not a research paper, the essay should be composed in a formal third-person style and follow standard procedures for scholarly documentation. A previously written course paper could well serve as a starting point for the essay, with revisions made to address this prompt.
Format
The essay should have between 1,000 and 1,500 elegantly composed words and include a title. Your name should not appear on any page.
Deadline
Submit essay by email, as an MS Word attachment with no identifying information. The message subject line should be: Gund Essay -- and your first and last name.
Email it to: americandemocracy@kenyon.edu by midnight, February 15, 2020.
The George Gund Prize was created in 1952 by George Gund Honorary degree of 1950, longtime trustee of the College, chair of the Finance Committee, father of Graham Gund, '63 and former chair of the Cleveland Trust Company.