PUBLISHED:February 05, 2010

Sovereignty Symposium XXIII writing competition and scholarships

The Supreme Court of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission, the Sovereignty Symposium and the Oklahoma Arts Council are sponsoring this writing competition open to all students enrolled in an accredited law school in the United States, its territories or Canada.

In conjunction with Sovereignty Symposium XXIII, which will be held June 2 and June 3, 2010, at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a scholarly collection of legal and historical writings will be presented to all participants. Legal libraries all over the United States regularly solicit copies of the publications for their collections. The subject matter of the paper may be on any area of the law relating to Native Americans or other indigenous peoples. First, second, and third prizes in the amounts of $500, $300 and $200 will be awarded. The winning entry will also be published in the 2010 Symposium compendium of materials. Second and third place entries will be published if space permits. Entries must be received no later than March 31, 2010. Publication releases will be required prior to payment of prize money.

The entries in the writing competition must be not less than 30 single-spaced pages nor more than 50 single-spaced pages in length. The paper used shall be 8-1/2" x 11" in size and white in color. The title of the paper, the name of the author and a current mailing address and telephone number must be placed on a cover page. Only the title of the paper should appear at the top of the first page of the text. The author's name should appear on the cover page only. Papers must be submitted in Word or Word Perfect format. You may e-mail the formatted version to kyle.shifflett@oscn.net. Use a 12-point font in Times New Roman format. The left and right margins must be 2;" the top and bottom margins must be 1.5."

Papers will be evaluated using the following criteria: Timelines of subject; originality; legal analysis; use of authority (both extent of authority and the correct citation in text); creativity of arguments; strength and logic of conclusions; grammar; punctuation and writing style. Each of the criteria listed above will be evaluated on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest mark. The use of proper Bluebook form for endnotes, as well as endnote grammar, analysis and exploration will also be considered as part of the rating process. Text and endnote criteria listed above will be evaluated on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest mark.

Papers must be submitted to:
The Sovereignty Symposium
Oklahoma State Capital
Room 208
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
or e-mail kyle.shifflet@oscn.net

Sovereignty Symposium tuition scholarships

Ed Edmondson Scholarship:
A maximum of 100 symposium tuition only scholarships will be offered. Applicants should demonstrate an interest in and dedication to Native American law issues and the need for a scholarship in a letter of application. There is no formal application form.

Deadline: May 7, 2010

Susan J. Ferrell Scholarship:
One full scholarship will be offered to pay for tuition, meals, lodging, and travel to attend the Sovereignty Symposium. Applicants should demonstrate an interest in and contribution to Native American legal issues by an application letter. There is no application form. Please include name, address, and day and evening telephone numbers in your letter. Applicants must be students at an accredited law school in the United States, its territories or Canada.

Deadline: April 1, 2010

Scholarship applications must be submitted to:

The Sovereignty Symposium
Attn: Ferrell Scholarship Committee or Ed Edmonson
Oklahoma State Capitol, Room 208
OKlahoma City, OK 73105

*The Susan Ferrell recipient will be paid either mileage at the Oklahoma state travel reimbursement rate or round trip coach fare, not to exceed $500. A maximum of three nights of lodging at the conference rate will be paid directly to the hotel. A per diem at the Oklahoma state travel reimbursement rate will be paid directly each day for three days.

For further writing competition, or scholarship information, contact Julie Rorie at 405-522-5801, or e-mail julie.rorie@oscn.net