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Writing Opportunities

Two student readingAegis

Aegis: The Otterbein College Humanities Journal is a journal designed to showcase a deeper critical appreciation of the humanities at Otterbein. Aegis seeks scholarly essays and book reviews that advance the presence and values of the humanities on campus and beyond.

Quiz & Quill

Quiz & Quill is the student literary organization at Otterbein College. The organization welcomes students of all majors to participate in readings, submit their work for publication, and join the Quiz & Quill staff. Students may also choose to register for one credit hour each quarter they are involved in Quiz & Quill.

Tan & Cardinal

The Tan & Cardinal is the weekly student college newspaper. The T&C covers the latest news on the Otterbein College campus.

QuoteWriting Contests

Otterbein College students have the opportunity to participate in a plethora of writing contests: 

Otterbein Contests
Quiz and Quill Contests are open to all students of Otterbein College unless otherwise noted. The deadline for all contests is the Friday of the ninth week of Autumn quarter at 4 p.m. 

  • Poetry Contest
    Poems of any length and on any subject are accepted. Two copies must be submitted. Photocopies are permitted. Poetry should be placed on the page exactly as you want it to appear. Prizes: First, $100; Second, $75; Third, $50.
  • Personal Essay Contest
    The essay must relate to personal responses or experiences and be written in familiar style. Submit two copies: type-written and double-spaced. Photocopies will be accepted. Prizes: First, $100; Second, $75; Third, $50.
  • Short Story Contest
    Stories must be fictional narratives dealing with any subject. Submit two type-written and double-spaced copies. Photocopies will be accepted. Stories may be any length, but only those under 15 pages will be considered for publication. Prizes: First, $100; Second, $75; Third, $50.
  • Playwriting
    Plays may deal with any topic. Two copies must be submitted. Photocopies will be accepted. They must be type-written and in play format. Only those plays 15 pages or less will be considered for publication. Prizes: First, $100; Second, $75; Third $50.

The Walter Lowrie Barnes Short Story Award
Funded by J. Allison Barnes
Stories may be submitted by any junior or senior who has attended Otterbein College for at least one year prior to the contest. Each story shall be based on some established incident, fact or phase of American history. Stories must be original and emphasize the virtue of good citizenship. Stories shall be within 2,000 to 5,000 words long.

The historical element of the piece must not be distorted so as to destroy it. Two type-written, double-spaced copies must be submitted; photocopies are accepted.

A correct, typed copy of all prize-winning stories shall be furnished by the writers to be put in the Otterbein College archives. The college shall have the option of publishing any of the successful stories.

If the judges decide that none of the stories justifies an award, the prize money for that year will be set aside for the library. Prizes: First, $100; Second, $75; Third, $50.

Roy Burkhart Prizes In Religious Poetry
Funded by Mrs. Roy A. Burkhart
Poems may be no longer than 50 lines, and should deal with subjects of a spiritual nature. Poetry should be placed on the page exactly as you want it to appear. Two copies must be submitted; photocopies are accepted. Prizes: First, $40; Second, $20; Third, $10.

The Louise Gleim Williams Newspaper Writing Prizes
Each entry will consist of three different news or feature stories, on any subject, that were published in the Tan and Cardinal during the three quarters immediately preceding the contest. For the contest of January 2002, the articles must have been published between January and December 2002.

Students should submit a clipping from the original T & C in which the article appeared. The clipping must be fully identified by date and page number. The name of the writer should be omitted, either by marking it out or by cutting it out.

Please indicate which two stories are to be read first by the judge, by numbering your stories 1, 2, and 3 at the top. The judge will not necessarily read the third, as it will be used as a tie-breaker. One single entry form, containing the titles of all three articles as well as your name and other information (listed in the general rules section), should accompany the entry. Prizes: First, $100; Second, $75; Third; $50.

The Louise Gleim Williams Writer's Prize
The Writer's Prize will be awarded each year to the writer of the best of all the first-place winners of the seven contests described here. The amount of the prize will be in addition to the amount already won for the specific contest. The Louise Gleim Williams Writer's Prize for 2002 will be $100.

The Louise Gleim Williams Fund
The Louise Gleim Williams Fund is an endowment established in 1989 by Mr. Donald L. Williams, Otterbein class of 1941, in memory of his wife, Louise Gleim Williams (also class of 1941). Louise Gleim and Donald Williams were editor and business manager, respectively, of Quiz and Quill in their student years, and contributed many writings to the magazine.

East Central Colleges Student Literary Competition
Over the years, Otterbein students have won many awards in the ECC competition, which accepts short fiction story and poetry. See their website at www.hiram.edu/ecc for contest rules and more details (click on Programs link).

General Rules:

  • Submissions will be considered for both the Quiz and Quill magazine and for the writing contests.
  • You may submit three entries in the poetry contests (I & VI) and may submit two entries in the prose contests (II, III, IV, V). You may enter all the contests.
  • All entries must be typed, with the exception of the newspaper contest, in which clips from newspapers are acceptable.
  • Do not put your name on any entry. Submit a typed information sheet that includes your name, phone number, the title of each piece and the contest for which each entry is intended.
  • Submit your entries and the information sheet in a large envelope in the box located outside Towers 228.
  • Good writing, both in mechanics and style, must be obvious for the manuscript to be considered. No compositions previously published or submitted to another contest may be presented.
  • Quiz and Quill magazine will not necessarily publish contest winners.
  • Judges for the contest are chosen by the Department of English. Judging is done off-campus by writers or editors not directly associated with Otterbein College. The names of entrants do not appear on he manuscripts. See contest descriptions for further guidelines.

For more information about Quiz and Quill or any of the contests, see Shannon Lakanen in Towers 228 or call (614) 823-1211.