"Measure of a Life" Essay Contest Scholarship

The “Measure of a Life” Essay Contest Scholarship Application will open 11/15/2026.

The Center for Community Engagement in conjunction with the Department of English is hosting an essay contest for undergraduate students. The purpose of this contest is to showcase SHSU students’ commitment to civic engagement and the betterment of their communities. We are looking for short, personal narratives demonstrating the theme “The measure of a life is its service.” We want true stories of SHSU students committed to extraordinary service and civic engagement. Essays may feature personal, first-hand experiences or may showcase service observed in others. There is no minimum length required, but the maximum length of the essay is 500 words.
All essays will be evaluated for their content and expression in blind review using an established rubric.

After the initial judging, a small set of essays will be recognized for overall excellence. The winning essays will then be selected from this group.

1st Place-$1,000
2nd Place-$750
3rd Place-$250

Winners will also be recognized in a spring event.

Each contestant may submit only one essay to the contest. To facilitate blind review, there should be no self-references or other identifying elements within the essays; please do not include a heading with the author’s name. Essays should be double-spaced.