Eugene S. Thorpe Award

$2,000 Prize and Publication in The Freeman!

FEE invites writers to address the following:

In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith wrote, “The division of labor is limited by the extent of the market.”

What light does this shed on the current movement toward globalization?

Are there dangers in having government facilitate it in any affirmative way?

Word Count Essays must be 2,000–3,000 words in length

Deadline 12 midnight (EDT), August 15, 2008

Eligibility The Eugene S. Thorpe Award competition is open to writers from around the world, including students, freelance writers, teachers and professors, and business professionals. There is no minimum or maximum age for entrants. FEE employees (and their immediate family members), trustees, and Freeman editors and columnists are not eligible.

Eugene Stephenson Thorpe (1913–2001) was born in Elroy, Wisconsin, and graduated from Cornell University with a degree in civil engineering. An early critic of FDR and the changes his policies made in the fabric of American life, Mr. Thorpe held core beliefs that included hard work, free trade, small government, and self-reliance. He was a longtime supporter of the Foundation for Economic Education and a devoted reader of The Freeman. His children have fittingly established the Eugene S. Thorpe Award as a tribute to his life and ideas.

Eugene S. Thorpe Award Competition Guidelines and Rules

1. Eligibility

The Eugene S. Thorpe Award competition is open to writers from around the world, including students, freelance writers, teachers and professors, and business professionals. There is no minimum or maximum age for entrants. FEE employees (and their immediate family members), trustees, and Freeman editors and columnists are not eligible.

2. Prize

The winner will be awarded $2,000 and have his or her essay published in The Freeman.

3. Format

Essays should address the following:

In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith wrote, “The division of labor is limited by the extent of the market.” What light does this shed on the current movement toward globalization? Are there dangers in having government facilitate it in any affirmative way?

Essays must be written in English and be 2,000–3,000 words in length. Essays should be titled and must be double-spaced in 12-point type (preferably Times New Roman) and should follow standard essay format. Nonfiction only. Citations should be integrated into the text. No endnotes or bibliographies. When citing a web-based article or work, the author must be careful to assure the accuracy of the link.

4. Electronic-Submission Procedure

Each entrant may submit only one essay. The submission must be the original work of the entrant and must not have been previously published or submitted for publication. The competition begins April 15, 2008. All submissions must be received by the Foundation for Economic Education by 12 midnight (EDT) on August 15, 2008. Late entries will not be considered. FEE also reserves the right not to consider essays that are misdirected or incompletely received for any reason, including hardware or software malfunction or incompatibility.

Each submitted essay must be e-mailed as a Microsoft Word document or Adobe PDF attachment to essaycontest@fee.org. The accompanying e-mail must include the entrant’s full name, home address, and phone number only—and no additional text. The name of the writer must not appear anywhere in the attached essay file. FEE will acknowledge receipt of entries by an automatic e-mail response. All entries become the property of FEE and will not be returned.

Essays with one or two authors are welcomed. In the case of co-authors, entrants should provide the full names, addresses, and phone numbers of both authors in the submission e-mail.

5. Judging

To assure anonymity, the entrant’s name must not appear on any part of the essay. The writer shall identify himself or herself only in the text of the e-mail submission. FEE will assign each entry a unique code. Judges will evaluate essays without knowledge of the entrant’s identity and select the winner on the basis of readability, clarity, organization, originality, and how the essay addresses the topic statement. In the event that no entry is deemed to be of publishable quality, the judges reserve the right not to make the award for 2008. The judges’ decision will be announced in October 2008.