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The General Education Prize
2024 Gen Ed Prize winners Ashton Body ’24, Shane Rice ’25, and Manar Abrre ’26. 2024 winners not pictured: Justin Hu ’24 and Shira Hoffer ’25.
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The Program in General Education established the General Education Prize to inspire Harvard College students to reflect on the transformational nature of their Gen Ed learning experiences. Up to five $500 prizes will be awarded annually to students who submit exceptional reflections on how one or more Gen Ed courses have transformed the way they approach urgent problems or enduring questions and have helped them make connections between the subjects they study and the world beyond the classroom.
The program welcomes original submissions in a wide variety of formats from undergraduates who are currently registered as degree candidates at Harvard College. Written work (such as an essay, a poem or series of poems, a piece of short fiction, and a graphic novel) may be up to 1,500 words. Recorded work (such as a film, a song, and a dance) may be up to 10 minutes long. Artistic creations (such as a painting, a drawing, and a photograph or series of photographs) are also welcome. All essays must be accompanied by an abstract of up to 250 words, and all other works must be accompanied by an artist’s statement of up to 250 words contextualizing the work. Works may be submitted for this prize only if they have not been or will not be submitted for course credit.
The application portal is currently closed.
The Prize Committee is made up of Gen Ed faculty who teach in the program.
Prize-winning submissions will be published on the Gen Ed website and featured on the social media channels of Harvard College.
Prize Winners
Read Manar’s Submission
Read Ashton’s Submission
Read Shira’s Submission
Read Justin’s Submission
Read Shane’s Submission
Prize FAQs
Please contact gened@fas.harvard.edu if your questions are not answered in our FAQs.
Eligibility
Competitors for the General Education Prize must be resident in Harvard College. How is “resident” defined?
For the purposes of the General Education Prize, “resident” means that a competitor is registered as an undergraduate in Harvard College and has not yet completed the requirements for an undergraduate degree.
Is a student who is on leave eligible to apply?
No student may apply for this prize while on leave.
May a student submit a work that has been submitted for course credit?
No. A student may not submit a work for this prize if it has been or will be submitted for course credit.
May a student submit a co-authored work for this prize?
No. The General Education Prize is designed to recognize the efforts of individuals; therefore, works produced in collaboration with others are not eligible for submission.
May a student submit more than one work for this prize in a given year?
No. A student may submit only one work for this prize in a given year.
May a student apply for this prize more than once during their undergraduate career?
Yes. A student may apply more than one time, provided they submit entirely new work each year they apply.
May a student submit a work previously submitted for this prize?
No. A student may not submit a work for this prize more than once.
May a submission be about a course a student has not yet completed?
If a submission is about a single Gen Ed course, a student must have already completed the course.
If a submission is about more than one Gen Ed course, a student must have completed at least one of those courses. It is not required that a student must have completed more than one.
Submission
How does a student apply for the General Education Prize?
Students apply online by clicking the “Apply Here” link on this page. This link will be available shortly after Thanksgiving.
Should written work submitted for the prize be double-spaced or single-spaced?
Double-spaced is the preferred format for all written works submitted for this prize.
Does the 1,500-word limit include all text (footnotes, bibliographical content, and captions)?
Yes. The 1,500-word limit includes all text.
Is the prize deadline dependent on the location of the person submitting materials for the prize?
No. All application materials must be submitted by 11:59 pm eastern time on the day of the deadline. This deadline is strictly observed.
If a student encounters 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 Program in General Education by 11:59 pm on the day of the deadline. No extensions are granted.
What should a student do if they encounter difficulties with the application?
A student encountering difficulty with any portion of the application should immediately email the Program in General Education at gened@fas.harvard.edu.
May a student make a change to their application once it has been submitted?
No. Once an application has been submitted, no changes can be made to any part of it. Applicants are advised to review their applications carefully before clicking the “Submit” button.
Winning
When will the prize winners be announced?
Prize winners will be notified via email before Commencement.
What happens to prize-winning submissions?
They will be published on the Gen Ed website and featured on the social media channels of Harvard College.
Can the $500 prize be paid partially or fully to someone other than the prize winner?
No. Prize winnings can only be distributed to the person who won the prize.
Where can one find examples of past prize-winning submissions?
Winning submissions are published on the Gen Ed website. They can be found above by the name of each prize winner.