Burns H. Weston International Human Rights
Essay Prize
The UICHR sponsors the annual Burns H. Weston International Human Rights Essay Prize. Each year, two awards are made: one to an undergraduate and another to a graduate or professional school student. The prizes honor the fine work of University of Iowa students and the lifetime work of Professor Burns H. Weston of the College of Law. The winners receive $750 (undergraduate) or $1000 (graduate or professional student), and are recognized at an awards event. The writing competition is open to all currently enrolled University of Iowa, Iowa State and University of Northern Iowa students in all academic disciplines.
Undergraduate essay should be 15-20 pages in length; graduate essays 25-40 pages in length. Essays can discuss current events or history, law, public policy, or the arts & humanities. The essay does not need to be produced exclusively for the competition in order to qualify for review; the essay can be a paper written for a class. The only requirement is that the essays address issues of international human rights.
2010 Deadline for Submissions:
Monday, February 1, 2010
Please submit essays along with application materials to the UI Center for Human Rights (1120 University Capitol Centre) or send via campus mail to the Weston Essay Prize Committee, UI Center for Human Rights, 1120 University Capitol Centre.
Questions should be directed to uichr@uiowa.edu or Liz Crooks at (319) 335.3900.
2009 Competition:
This year’s pool as a whole was of outstanding quality, and we received the largest number of submissions ever! We received seven undergraduate submissions and sixteen graduate submissions representing diverse disciplinary perspectives and diverse types of formats and styles.
2009 Winners
Kara Moberg
“Extending the Refugee Definition to Cover Environmentally Displaced Persons Displaces Necessary Protections” (Graduate/Professional, College of Law)
Annah Vollstedt
"U.S. Funded HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs in Kampala, Uganda: the Gap Between the Theoretical and the Practical” (Undergraduate, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Communication Studies)
Runner-up/Honorable Mention: Judith Faucette
“Affirming Equality: An Argument for Express Recognition of the Prohibition on Orientation Based Discrimination in International Human Rights Law” (Graduate/Professional, College of Law)
2008 Winner
Rebecca Bowman
Dual-degree student seeking a J.D. at the College of Law and a Ph.D. in higher education
"Lubanga, the DRC, and the African Court: Lessons Learned from the First ICC Case."
2007 Winners
Read the announcement for the 2007 winners
Julia LaBua
Senior in History and Geography
"Outside the Public Eye: How the Carter Administration Used 'Quiet Diplomacy' to Impact Human Rights in Argentina."
Stacey Meyer
Second-year College of Law
"Conflict of National Identity with Minority Religious Rights in Russia and France: A Conundrum for the European Court of Human Rights."
2006 Winners
Read the announcement for the 2006 winners
Kevin Kenjar
Senior in Religious Studies and International Studies
“The Rise of Orthodoxy and Heresy in Pakistan: The Institutionalized Persecution of the Ahmadiya Religious Minority.”
Matthew Stromquist
Second-year College of Law
“Towards an Optional Protocol to the ICESCR: Local Contexts, Global Norms, and a Trickle-Up Theory of Justiciability.”
2005 Winners
Read the announcement for the 2005 winners
Neil Peterson
Senior in Women's Studies and Anthropology
"Speaking from Behind Closed Doors: The World Health Organization, Maternal Health and Hegemony."
Mary Sevandal
College of Law
"Bringing Back the 'Real Iraq': Eliminating Honor Crimes in Post-War Iraq."