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Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

We are one of 24 Subject Centres funded by the Higher Education Academy
Our primary aim is to support learning and teaching of Languages,
Linguistics and Area Studies across UK Higher Education

LLAS student award competition 2010

News summary

LLAS runs an annual competition for higher education students of languages, linguistics and area studies. This year, students may submit their entry in podcast, vidcast or essay format and the winner will win a cash prize of £300. Full details about the choice of competition topics and assessment criteria are available on our website and the closing date for this year's competition is 31 March 2010. Please advertise the competition to your students. Promotional materials will be available shortly and may be requested by emailing llas@soton.ac.uk

Are you a student studying for a degree in Languages, Linguistics or Area Studies?

Would you like
to win £300 for
a 1,000-word essay or a five-minute podcast/vidcast?

Well now's
your chance!

The competition is being run by The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS) and in addition to the prize money winners will have their essay/recording published on the Subject Centre website, and be invited to attend the HE Academy Conference.  Runners-up will also receive a prize and have their entries published on our website.

Download flyer (pdf, 461Kb)

To enter this competition all you need to do is write a 1,000-word essay or record a five-minute podcast/vidcast on ONE of the following topics:

  1. A promotional article aimed at encouraging school pupils to study languages, linguistics or area studies at university

    2. ~ or ~

  2. Studying languages, linguistics or area studies at university: a guide for new students

    3. ~ or ~

  3. My future employability: the benefits of a languages, linguistics or area studies degree

So share your thoughts in the field of Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies!

NB: We reserve editorial rights for any essays/podcasts/vidcasts we choose to publish.

Submit your essay

Deadline for submission: 31st March 2010

Please email your essay to Paula Davis (pd2@soton.ac.uk). Please ensure you include your:

  • Name
  • University
  • Department
  • Course title
  • Year of study
  • Term address / home address (please state which one you use as main)
  • Contact email address
  • Contact telephone number

Click here to download a cover sheet to submit with your entry.

For examples of what makes an award-winning essay, read the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 winning essays; it may help you get started. Good luck!

Further details

Criteria

Submitted essays will be assessed against the following criteria. Your work should:

  • Answer the question.
  • Give the an overview of the factors that led to your answer, including specific examples as appropriate.
  • Provide an individual and honest account.
  • Be entertaining and interesting.
  • Be well written/produced in terms of structure, grammar and spelling for essays, and in terms of structure, editing and picture/sound quality for podcasts/vidcasts.
  • Not vary from the 1,000 word guideline or five-minute duration guideline by more than 10% either way.
  • Be submitted on the application form in electronic format, in an appropriate format for the medium used. N.B. for podcasts, please use mp3 or windows media format; for vidcasts please provide us with the original video file in windows media, quicktime or mpeg-4 format, in addition to any web sites you upload your vidcast to.