The last time we held a college essay contest, in 2019, the world looked very different. Three years ago, students had to experience a pandemic, a global social and racial justice movement, an increasing number of climate disasters, or a riot in the United States Capitol.
What was love like for you in these extraordinary times? Have you experienced surprising opportunities, unexpected challenges, new ways to connect or make the most of difficult circumstances? We are looking for stories that are current or timeless, influenced by world events or not.
Tell us your story in a 1,500-1,700-word personal essay and submit it by March 27 at 11:59 PM ET. At the beginning of May, we will announce one winner and four finalists. The winner will receive a $1,000 prize and all five essays can be published in Modern Love.
As with all Modern Love essays, we look for honest, well-told stories, in which both the author and reader realize something they didn’t have before. To get an idea of what we’re looking for, read our past college competition winners and finalists. As you’ll see, topics range from how technology is changing the way we engage with oppressive male codes of conduct.
The competition is open to legal residents of the United States who are 18 years of age and older and current undergraduate students at a U.S. college or university (including those expected to graduate in the first six months of 2022 and those graduating from absence of their bachelor studies). For official rules, click here.
How do I submit?
Send submissions of 1500-1700 words to essaycontest.. Put the subject of your essay or a possible title in the subject line of the email.
Include your full legal name and the name of the college or university where you are currently studying, even if you are currently on leave.
Attach your essay as a Microsoft Word compatible document and paste the text into the body of the email. If your first submission is incomplete, please resubmit one complete submission; don’t just send the missing pieces in additional emails.
Essays must be completely true. Don’t use pseudonyms (including yourself), composite characters, or made-up situations or scenes. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Essays must not have been previously published. Work that has appeared online – on another news website, personal blog, Medium or elsewhere – is considered previously published.
Essays are edited in consultation with writers and writers are paid for published work.
Feel free to spread the word about the competition to all eligible students who may be interested in submitting an essay. We look forward to hearing from you.
Modern Love can be reached at modernlove..
Visit our archive to find past Modern Love essays, Tiny Love Stories, and podcast episodes.
Want more of Modern Love? Watch the TV series; Subscribe to the newsletter; or listen to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. We also have swag in the NYT Store and two books, “Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption” and “Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words of Less.”