FAQS
What kind of submissions are you looking for in ‘First Word’? And why only the essay?
The essay is a highly adaptive genre well suited to our intention of fostering a community of young writers who are not only inquisitive about ideas and arguments, and responsive to particular moods and moments, but are also adept at shaping their words in a form that suits their individual styles. Through this endeavor we hope that students will submit literary non-fiction or critical essays which reflect a nuanced understanding of the world, originality in thought and elegance in expression—the founding ideals of our flagship course ‘Introduction to Critical Thinking’.
How do I respond to the prompts provided?
As stated earlier, the prompts can be either approached directly, through their most obvious cultural and contextual meanings or can be used as a point of reference or departure to problematize the obvious meanings/interpretation and embed the discussion in a wider social, political, or aesthetic context. The prompt “icon” for instance, may be approached in the context of stardom, star-power, celebrity-status and their various functions and relationships with online forums. Alternatively, it could also facilitate an analytical piece on the evolving aesthetic judgements in the digital sphere in the context of user experience. Similarly, the prompt “loiter” can be a point of reference for a discussion on supposedly “correct” and “incorrect” forms of interacting with public spaces in the context of gender, race, class, caste, etc.
Why is First Word open only to first-year undergraduate students?
The Undergraduate Writing Programme works most closely with first-year students through the ‘Introduction to Critical Thinking’ courses that we teach. The competition is intended to celebrate the creative and literary coming-of-age of these young thinkers and writers.
Why don’t you allow entries in languages other than English?
In order to admit essays in languages other than English, we will need to develop the infrastructure needed to fairly judge such contributions. We intend to do this in future editions and widen our language pool as a result. For this year’s contest, our team is dedicated to providing additional support to English Language Learners who are enthusiastic about participating. If you are an ELL student and anticipate assistance during the final stage of your drafting process, we are pleased to offer an online session lasting between 15 and 30 minutes, as needed. To sign up for this, we request you to write to us at uwp@ashoka.edu.in at least two weeks before the final deadline on 31 July. Please note that we can only provide one session for this form of assistance.
Currently, I am in my second year, although I took an ICT in the Monsoon 2023/Spring 2024 semester. Am I eligible to send in my essay for this competition?
No, if you have not taken a year or semester off previously, you are not eligible to participate in this contest.
What if I have a pre-written essay, can I still submit it?
While we hope you will write something fresh for us, it is alright to refashion an older piece as long as the piece has not been published before and engages clearly with one of the prompts. (However, please remove the details of prior submissions before you send it to us!)
Do I need to stick to the genres already mentioned in the concept note?
No, you can surprise us! However, it needs to be an essay, it needs to be largely non-fiction (we say ‘largely’ because some narrative essays, among others, may weave fiction with non-fiction), it needs to be in English, and it needs to be text!
Can I submit an original translation of someone else’s essay?
Since we wish to celebrate student composition rather than translation through this initiative, we are unable to accept translated pieces.
