Student Essay Contest
Shepherd students are encouraged to enter the Common Reading Student Essay Contest.
- Entries should be emailed to hwilliam@shepherd.edu and are being accepted now through April 3, 2026.
- The winner will receive $150 toward Shepherd tuition or textbooks.
- Entries are judged by a panel of three faculty members using a rubric developed by the Department of English, History, and Modern Languages.
- Essays written for a specific class or other assignment are acceptable (either Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 courses).
Essay Contest Prompt
A winning entry does/has the following elements:
- A clear and coherent thesis statement/main idea that appears in the first paragraph and clearly relates to the prompt you have selected. A reader should be able to easily identify this sentence and say “THIS is what this paper is about.” A good response is not a summary of the text.
- Textual evidence to support each point and move your argument along. Every claim you make should be supported with evidence from the text. Make sure this evidence is integrated into your overall argument. Do not simply drop in quotations without any analysis (explaining how they advance your main idea). Avoid quoting extremely long passages, especially without analysis.
- A coherent, clear structure. Each paragraph should: a) move the argument along; b) have a strong topic sentence, c) move to the next section with clear transitions.
- A conclusion. Your piece should have some sort of conclusion that wraps things up, even if all you do is raise more questions.
- Proper formatting. This includes:
- A title for your essay.
- Typed; double-spaced; in a reasonable font (Times New Roman 12 pt. or Arial 11 pt.); one-inch margins all around; stapled; your name, the course title (if applicable), the instructor’s name (if applicable), and the date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page; page numbers should appear on the upper right-hand corner of each page.
- No spelling or grammatical mistakes.
- Appropriate length: About 600-750 words (at least 2 full pages)
2025-2026 Student Essay Contest Winner Announced
Cohen Cernoch, a dual enrollment student from Musselman High School in Inwood, WV has won this year’s Common Reading student essay contest. Cernoch’s essay,”Crushed Under the Mountain: Pressure to Maintain Manhood in the Shadow of Coal,” based on Black Bear Creek: Stories by Joshua Cross (Shepherd alumnus, class of 2003), Shepherd’s 2025-2026 Common Reading book, was selected. Cernoch wrote the essay for an English composition class with Dr. Valerie Stevens. Essays were judged by a panel faculty members. Cernoch opted to use the prize winnings toward his fall tuition as he enrolls at Shepherd in Fall 2026. Congratulations, Cohen!
Past winners
Shepherd student Dannielle Amoroso, a psychology major from Gaithersburg, MD, has won this year’s Common Reading student essay contest. Amoroso’s essay, titled “Third Eye,” is based on Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson, Shepherd’s 2024-2025 Common Reading book, was selected. Amoroso wrote the essay for an English composition class. Essays were judged by a panel of three faculty members. Amoroso opted to receive a gift card toward tuition as her prize. Congratulations, Dannielle!