Essay Requirements
The Ten-Word Essay
The essay is the center of the application and the sole basis for selection. Read this page in full before you begin writing.
The 2026–27 prompt
In ten words or more, describe the future you are working toward.
Interpret the prompt however you see fit. The committee is not looking for a particular career, field, or kind of answer. It is looking for an essay that could only have come from you.
Requirements
Minimum ten words. No exceptions.An essay of nine words or fewer is disqualified immediately. It will not be read, scored, or returned for revision, and the applicant will not be given a second chance to submit.
An essay must meet every requirement below to be scored. Essays that do not are disqualified without review.
- At least ten words, as counted under the rules below. There is no maximum.
- Written in English.
- Responsive to the 2026–27 prompt. Essays written for another prompt or another scholarship will not be scored.
- Your own original work. Essays written or substantially edited by another person, or produced with an AI writing tool, are disqualified.
- Plain text only. No title, no emoji, no links, and no formatting.
- One essay per applicant. Essays cannot be revised or replaced after submission.
How words are counted
A word is any group of characters separated from the next by a space, as long as it contains at least one letter or number.
| Example | Counts as |
|---|---|
| well-rounded | 1 word |
| don't | 1 word |
| 2030 | 1 word |
| U.S. | 1 word |
| and/or | 1 word |
| & or — standing alone | Not counted |
The following sentence contains ten words, the minimum for an eligible essay. It is shown only to illustrate counting and is not a response to the prompt.
My grandmother taught me to read before I could walk.
The word counter on the application form follows these rules exactly. Once the counter reaches ten, your essay meets the minimum. The form will not accept an essay under ten words.
Evaluation criteria
Every eligible essay is read by the selection committee with the applicant's name and email address removed. Essays are scored on four criteria.
| Criterion | Weight | What the committee looks for |
|---|---|---|
| Originality | 30% | The essay says something only this applicant would say. |
| Precision | 25% | Every word is doing work. A longer essay does not score higher because it is longer. |
| Clarity | 25% | A reader understands the essay on the first reading. |
| Responsiveness | 20% | The essay answers the prompt that was asked. |
If two essays receive the same score, the full committee votes again on those essays alone.
Common reasons for disqualification
- The essay is under ten words. This is an immediate disqualification. Check your count before anything else.
- The essay includes a title. Titles are not permitted.
- The application is submitted after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 31, 2026.
- The applicant submits more than one application.
Guidance from the committee
- Start early. Ten good words take longer to write than most applicants expect.
- Write freely, then revise. Cut anything that isn't doing work, but never cut below ten.
- Don't pad. Filler words will get you to ten. They will not get you the award.
- Don't spend words restating the prompt. The committee already knows the question.
- Avoid quotations. The committee wants your words, not someone else's.
- Read it out loud. If a word trips you up, replace it.
- Count it before you submit, then count it again. Nine words is a disqualification, and submitted essays cannot be changed.