Center for African Studies 2008 Paper Prize Competition: Claude Ake Student Writing Award and Ruth First Graduate Research Award
	The Center for African Studies invites all faculty to nominate excellent student writing about Africa for the 2008 Center for African Studies student writing awards. The Center for African Studies sponsors two annual student writing awards to encourage student research on Africa and to foster a sense of community among Rutgers students and faculty. Prizes are awarded at a public event publicizing the Africa related opportunities for students at Rutgers. Papers must be nominated by a faculty member—faculty are encouraged to identify excellent work and to notify students that they have been nominated for the award. Students or faculty who would like to submit a paper for consideration must send an electronic version of the paper along with a letter of nomination from a faculty member to rdelance@rci.rutgers.edu and to bacooper@rci.rutgers.edu no later than May 5th. Winners will be announced in early June. A prize ceremony will be held in September 2008. Faculty should feel free to nominate papers written by students in 2006-2007, but that were not ready for submission in time for the 2007 round of the contest. The Claude Ake Prize ($250), the undergraduate award, celebrates writing produced by a student in a seminar or as an honors thesis. Claude Ake was a respected scholar and committed activist who inspired many in African Studies to see the work of intellectuals as having a central role in shaping Africa’s future. Ake died in a plane crash in 1996-- this prize is a fitting way to honor his contributions to Africa and to African Studies. The Ruth First Prize ($250), the graduate research award, celebrates the work of a graduate student who has produced valuable new scholarly knowledge about Africa. Ruth First was a committed labor rights and anti-apartheid activist, a journalist, and an editor. She was killed by a letter bomb in 1982—this prize is a tribute to her significance as an author and an activist. If you have any questions please contact: Barbara Cooper Director, Center for African Studies Beck Hall Room 210 99 Avenue E Piscataway , NJ 08854-8045 E-mail: bacooper@rci.rutgers.edu