Announcing the Department of Religious Studies 2026 Best Paper Prizes
Deadline Friday, May 22, 2026 5:00 pm.
Late Submissions will not be considered.
The department will award prizes in three categories
- Best Short Essay Prize (approximately 5-10 double-spaced pages; or approximately 2000-4000 words)
- Best Research paper (approximately 10-30 double-spaced pages; or approximately 4000-9000 words)
Best Religious Studies Senior thesis
Each winning entry will receive a gift certificate to the UCD Bookstore ($100 for short essay, $150 for research paper and $250 for senior thesis) and be featured on the RST website. The awards will be presented at our RST spring graduation party in June 2026.
Eligibility:
For the short essay and research essay prizes, the paper must have been written for an RST course at UC Davis during the Fall Quarter 2025 through the Winter Quarter 2026. Papers submitted anytime during Spring 2026 (i.e., the current quarter) are not eligible for the RST Paper prize this year.
- The short essay & research paper prizes are open to undergraduate students in any major or minor. One need not be a Religious Studies major to submit an entry.
- For the Senior Thesis prize, students completing their Religious Studies senior thesis in Spring 2026 may submit their work for consideration.
- One submission per student.
- Prior winners of the prize in any category may submit essays for consideration this year.
Submissions will be evaluated by Religious Studies faculty members.
How to submit your entry:
Self-submission:
1. Papers should be typed, double-spaced, and no more than 20 pages.
2. Please include page numbers. Put your name, student ID number, title of paper, and email address on a cover sheet.
3. Make your document a single .pdf
4. E-mail your attachment to Lindsey Parisius, undergraduate program coordinator, at [email protected]. In the subject line of your e-mail, write: ‘RST Undergraduate Writing Prize submission.’ Include the category of prize for which you are applying in the subject line.
Nominations: Professors teaching an RST class may also nominate student papers for the writing prize