The Charles S. Peirce Society is delighted to announce a new essay contest for current undergraduate students or undergraduate students who have not yet begun graduate studies. This contest is distinct from the long-running Peirce Essay Prize (only open to graduate students and early career scholars) and is meant to encourage work on Peirce’s philosophy at the undergraduate level. See below the call for submissions.
1st Annual Undergraduate Peirce Essay Contest
Prize: $300; recognition by the Peirce Society at its annual meeting, in its newsletter, and on its website.
Open to: Any current undergraduate student and anyone who was an undergraduate student within the past ten years and who is not a current or former graduate student.
Topic: Any topic relating to the work of Charles S. Peirce.
Length: 3,000 to 5,000 words is ideal; longer papers should be justified by the author.
Language: English is preferred, although papers in other languages will be considered.
Advice: While the essay need not focus entirely on Peirce’s work, it should relate to it substantially and explicitly, and it should be original. Although undergraduates are not expected to have full command of Peirce’s work or the literature on it, papers that demonstrate substantial familiarity with both are preferred.
AI Statement: While we do not totally prohibit the use of AI tools, submissions must be the author’s own work. In the submission email, authors must disclose any use of AI tools, specifying whether, how, and why AI was used.
Deadline: September 30th, 2026; the winner to be announced by January 2027.
Submission Instructions: Prepare the essay for anonymous evaluation and submit it as an attachment to peircesociety@gmail.com with the subject heading “undergraduate Peirce essay contest”. Although undergraduate transcripts are unnecessary, entrants should specify their undergraduate careers and provide at least one academic reference (e.g., a former professor).
The Charles S. Peirce Society 