Theme: Joy and the Humanities

Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Word Count: 7501,250 words

Deadline: Saturday, March 15, 2025

Awards:

  • 1st Place: $500
  • Runner-up: $250
  • Runner-up: $250

Prompt:

American poet and essayist Ross Gay once described joy as “a room at the top of a flight of stairs, that upon entering, washes you with clean air and glad music and comfy furniture and gentle warmth.” He, like many others, suggests that joy is a destination—a threshold reached only after grappling with challenges like grief, disappointment, or frustration. 

How does this view of joy align with or differ from your own experiences? Is joy inherently tied to overcoming negative emotions, or can it exist as a spontaneous and independent experience? Simply put, is joy a process or an event?   

You are invited to craft a personal narrative that reflects on the nature of joy. Your essay must include the following elements: 

  • A key personal experience that shaped your understanding of joy. 
  • A reference to an artifact in the humanities—i.e. something from art, literature, music, language, or philosophy—that informs your perspective. 
  • A unique and creative metaphor that conveys your vision of joy. 

Both undergraduate and graduate students are invited to participate. Please send all submissions and any questions to byuhumanities.center@gmail.com by Saturday, March 15, 2025.