Classical Essay Contest

The Classical Association of Virginia is excited to sponsor the annual Classical Essay Contest to provide students with the opportunity to write, in English, on a specified topic of classical interest and to be recognized for their outstanding performance. The last date for submission is March 15, 2027 at 11:59 pm.

Formatting & Rules

• Submission deadline (see “How to Submit” below) is March 15, 2027, at 11:59 pm.
• Essays should be roughly 1000 words in length, typed and double-spaced. PDFs are preferred, but Word documents will also be accepted.
• The first page the essay may include a title. The student’s name and school must not appear on any page of the essay, and the pages of the essay should be numbered.
• The essay must be an original piece of writing in which the concept, ideas, thesis, and argumentation are the student’s own work. Books and electronic resources may (indeed, generally should) be consulted, provided that research is completed by the student and proper acknowledgement of intellectual property is given. A list of sources and works cited should be provided at the end of the essay is Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL):   http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html 
• The use of AI is prohibited as a writing tool, i.e., the written essay must be your own words and composition. If AI is used for research, please provide an appropriate citation.
• **NEW** Teachers may provide general instruction in the writing of a good essay and guide students toward the types of reference material to consult and the proper citation of those sources. In the interest of allowing essays to count for credit in the classroom, teachers may offer editorial feedback on one rough draft addressing spelling, word choice, grammar, organization, and flaws in argumentation. If, however, an essay is used as an assignment in the class and did not benefit from editorial support, this should be indicated on the entry form for the contest.
• **NEW** Teachers will submit all essays directly by email to csalowey@hollins.edu filling out one entry form (see below) for all essays in each level category and following the directions for labeling each student essay (more on this in “How to Submit” section).
• **NEW** The topics for essays are broad enough to allow the student to show initiative and creativity in the approach to the topic as well as to demonstrate how sound research supports the writer’s views, imaginative reconstructions, and/or critical examinations of the topic. Students may choose to focus on a small portion or just one aspect of the topic in which they dig a little deeper. Students may write a more creative than expository essay, i.e., writing a dialogue or short story, but the details should be grounded in fact. The essays will be assessed for clear writing and solid documentation but also for a well though out exploration of the topic in a persuasive or lively manner.
• By entering this contest, you are giving the Classical Association of Virginia consent to publish your name in its official publications. Winners’ names will be published in the CAV newsletter and CAV website. Also, the winning essays will be posted on the CAV website in pdf form. If students do not want their names and/or essays posted, they should add a note to that effect on their cover page.

 

How to Submit (**NEW** process)

1. Submission deadline is March 15, 2027, at 11:59 pm.
2. Fill out a separate entry form for each essay category, listing all the students (with the accompanying information) who are submitting an essay in that category. Download each entry form as an Excel document titled “Level X.School”, i.e., Level 3.RockbridgeHS.
3. Label each student essay (the document itself) in the following manner: LevelX.School Abbreviation.Essay Number (on entry form), i.e., Level1.RockbridgeHS.3. This means that the essay is from the third student on the entry form list for Level 1 essays from Rockbridge High School.
4. PDFs are preferred but Word documents are also acceptable.
5. Email the entry form and essays for each category in a single email (if possible) to csalowey@hollins.edu. Send a separate email for each category you have students submitting essays for.
6. There is no fee for entering the contest.

 

Results of the 2026 Contest

Latin I: A Visit to the Roman Forum First place (Grades 6-8): Dawson Tatro, Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School, Mariana Eldeeb First place (Grades 9-12): Nicholas Roche, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Second place: John Fanguy, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Third place: Edward Morgan, Riverbend HS, Holly Fitterer Honorable Mentions: Elijah Maher, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg; Walker Stoia, Riverbend HS, Holly Fitterer Latin II: Cenabis bene: Cooking and Dining in the Roman World First place: Saori Toda, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Second place: Isaiah Vasquez, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Third place: Adam Shirmer, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Honorable Mentions: Alexander Hichak, Riverbend HS, Holly Fitterer; Josephine Brooke, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg; Aria Hedderly, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Latin III: Health and Well-being in the Roman World First place: Emily Batbaatar, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Second place: Aydan Deach, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Third place: Camilla Borisov, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Honorable Mentions: Emery Ahmed, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg; Manjalee Bracken , Riverbend HS, Holly Fitterer Vergil: Women’s Roles in the Aeneid First place: Corinna Allen, Rockbridge County HS, Patrick Bradley Second place: Cara Van Gieson, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Third place: Grace Bouda, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg History: Quid novi? News and Communication in the Roman Empire First place: Joseph Krettek, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Second place: Kate Schwartzbeck, Yorktown HS, Ian Hochberg Third place: Edison Rahl, Rockbridge County HS, Patrick Bradley Honorable Mentions: Graham Shester, Rockbridge County HS, Patrick Bradley; Hudson Saunders, Rockbridge County HS