Harbinger Prize for Polemic Writing
The Department of English is pleased to announce the inaugural Harbinger Prize for Polemic Writing for CapU students. This year, two prizes of $500 will be awarded to student writing that best demonstrates the potential of polemical writing.
The Harbinger Prize committee welcomes inventive responses from students who are engaged with pressing social and cultural issues. To be eligible, entrants must be a current CapU student and have taken at least one English/Creative Writing course at CapU during the previous academic year (Sept 2024–April 2025). Submissions will be evaluated for their attention to argumentation and style, as well as their engagement with topical social, political, and cultural concerns.
Polemical writing includes, but is not limited to:
- Essays
- Op-eds
- Political pamphlets
- Manifestoes
- Satires
- Dialectics
- Poetry and creative responses are also welcomed!
Although “polemical writing” might mean “controversial writing,” controversy for its own sake is not the aim of this prize. Instead, this competition hopes to explore how polemical writing can shape public discourse and support our communities. Students might even consider the “role” of adversarial speech/writing critically in their submissions: how do the rhetorical “voices” and “postures” we perform affect what we are able to do in and with argumentation and debate?
Regardless of subject matter, we encourage submissions that consider the potentials and limitations of polemical writing.
Students may submit new original work as well as essays originally written for CapU classes. Submissions should be no longer than 2,000 words. Max. one submission per student.
Please submit your writing using the link at the bottom of this page.
Submission Deadline: May 1, 2025
Winner Announced: June 20, 2025
To be considered for this award, writing must reflect the values expressed in CapU’s “Our Values” statement (https://www.capilanou.ca/about-capu/get-to-know-us/our-values/). Submissions must follow CapU’s Academic Integrity Policy and conform to the English Department’s statement on AI-generated text; submitting AI-generated text as your own writing will be treated as cheating (per CapU Academic Integrity Policy section 6.1).
The Harbinger Prize committee welcomes polemical writing from students who are engaged with pressing social and cultural issues. Students may submit new original work as well as essays originally written for CapU classes. Submissions should be no longer than 2,000 words. Max. one submission per student.
To be eligible, entrants must be a current CapU student and have taken at least one English/Creative Writing course at CapU during the previous academic year (Sept 2024–April 2025). Submissions will be evaluated for their attention to argumentation and style, as well as their engagement with topical social, political, and cultural concerns.
To be considered for this award, writing must reflect the values expressed in CapU’s “Our Values” statement (https://www.capilanou.ca/about-capu/get-to-know-us/our-values/). Submissions must follow CapU’s Academic Integrity Policy and conform to the English Department’s statement on AI-generated text. Submitting AI-generated text as your own writing will be treated as cheating (per CapU Academic Integrity Policy section 6.1).