2014 NEW CROP PHILOSOPHY PRIZE and SYMPOSIUM

UC Berkeley undergraduate philosophy majors and minors are invited to submit essays for consideration for the 2014 New Crop Philosophy Prize:

First prize: $3,000

First runner-up: $2,000

Second runner-up: $1,000

Essays may be of any length up to ten pages. They should be submitted by electronic attachment to Janet Groome (jmgroome@berkeley.edu) by January 20, 2014.

Essays can be on any philosophical topic.

Like all philosophical essays, submissions should aim to be clear, cogent, and critically aware of existing debates. However, a premium will be placed on submissions that strive for originality: that perceptively challenge existing assumptions and positions. One aim of the New Crop Prize is to identify “outliers”: innovative voices and outlooks.

All undergraduate majors and minors are encouraged to apply. You need not be a straight-A student to have something new to say!

The top five submissions, as determined by a committee of three graduate students, will be sent our Distinguished New Crop Visitor, who will select the first-, second-, and third-prize, winner.

Our 2014 Distinguished New Crop Visitor, who was selected by members of Phil Forum, our undergraduate philosophy club, is Professor Ned Block of New York University.

The two-day New Crop Symposium with Professor Block will take place April 2–3, 2014. On the first day, Professor Block will give a lunch seminar on a major philosophical question, exclusively for undergraduates.

The second day will be devoted to the prize-winning essays. Undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty are welcome to attend. Professor Block will present the awards and comment on the essays, with time left for student responses and broader discussion. A reception and a dinner will follow.

Please note: Federal financial aid regulations require that all awards received by a student cannot exceed their financial aid need as determined by a congressional formula. It is possible, therefore, that the cash award for a Prize could reduce some component of a needy student’s package of financial aid awards. In these cases, the Financial Aid Office attempts first to reduce loan or work aid; fellowships, grants or scholarships are only reduced as a last resort. Regardless of your financial aid situation, the IRS views fellowships, grants or scholarships that are not directly applied to tuition or other educational expenses as taxable income.