Audre Lorde Prize

These awards, named in honor of Audre Lorde (1934-1992), the intersectional feminist writer and civil rights activist who penned the foundational text Sister Outsider (1984), are given annually by the Augustana Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program. They recognize excellence in scholarship in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the undergraduate level.

Awards will be presented in three categories:

Short analytic essay (5-7 pages)
Long analytic essay (8 or more pages)
Creative expression: reflective/personal writing, visual art or musical creations, creative writing, short performances (theater, dance, etc.), videos, or podcasts (approx. 5-10 minutes), etc. Submissions in this category should include a 1-2 page (200-400 word) artist’s statement that explores how the ideas and intentions of the work are informed by WGSS perspectives and/or theories

Entries will be accepted for student work created in courses during Fall 2025, J-Term 2026, and even as far back as Spring 2025. Work created this semester by graduating seniors is also eligible.

We seek entries that display outstanding liberal arts scholarship and creativity at the undergraduate level. Entries should have a thesis, message, or underlying insight that is skillfully supported and communicated effectively. Since feminist and queer scholarship has influenced all academic fields, any course offered at Augustana could, potentially, be the basis for work addressing historical, theoretical, social, psychological, artistic, and economic questions relevant to the Audre Lorde Prize.

Guidelines for submitting your work for this prize:

Remove any references to your name from the pages of the text/piece itself.
Create a separate title page with your name, project/art piece title, course, instructor's name, and the semester in which it was created.
Also on the title page, clearly identify which of the three categories your submission belongs to: Short Analytic, Long Analytic or Creative Expression.
Email your submission including the title page as a single PDF to wgss@augustana.edu. For visual art and performance, submit a high-quality (at least 3000 dpi) jpeg, tiff, mp3 or mp4.
Students may submit no more than 2 entries. Entries may be in the same prize category or in different categories.
Winning work will be published in Augustana Digital Commons if applicable and desired by the author. Please view previous prizewinners here.

First place winners for each category will receive $100, second place winners will receive $50, and honorable mention winners will receive $25.

Entries must be received by Friday, April 10, 2026.