The JASNA Essay Contest invites students worldwide to analyze Jane Austen’s works in high-school, undergraduate and graduate divisions. Published eligibility includes homeschool students, undergraduates taking at least six credit hours and graduate students taking at least three credit hours toward an advanced degree during the contest year. Essays must be in English; JASNA membership is not required.
The published awards per division are USD 1,000, USD 500 and USD 250. First-place awards also include Annual General Meeting registration and two nights’ lodging, excluding transportation. Winners receive membership, publication and Norton Critical Editions. These published terms do not establish the final rules of a new contest cycle.
The 2026 contest is officially closed; its submission deadline was June 1, 2026. JASNA says 2027 topic and rule information will be available in November 2026, with submissions beginning in February 2027. As checked November 4, no exact February opening day or final 2027 deadline is published. The old June cutoff is not rolled forward. The currently linked submission website returned 404, and the checked pages did not explicitly confirm an entry fee.
Sources: official contest page, FAQ, submission guidelines and historical 2026 announcement.