Midsouth Philosophy Conference
at
Memphis, TN
Thomas Nenon Graduate
Student Essay Prize
Student Essay Prize
The Midsouth Philosophy Conference announces the Thomas Nenon Graduate Student Essay Prize. This prize has been created to support graduate student writing in philosophy. The prize is named for Dr. Thomas Joseph Nenon (1951-2025), Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Memphis.
Dr. Nenon was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Raised in Memphis, he was committed to helping it prosper. Though his university and graduate studies took him far from home, from Denver, to Boston, and to Europe, he returned to the University of Memphis in 1985, where he served the philosophy department and the broader university with distinction throughout his career, as his responsibilities grew. He concluded that service as Provost of the University. Tom made important contributions to Husserl studies and phenomenology, and he was a tireless supporter of phenomenology research groups across the globe. And he was a devoted supporter and organizer of the Midsouth Philosophy Conference for forty years. This prize intends to honor Tom’s commitment to advancing the philosophical project by supporting new scholars in all philosophical traditions.
The Prize:
The Midsouth Philosophy Conference seeks submissions from graduate students working in any area of philosophy. The prize will be awarded to an outstanding essay directed toward a general philosophical audience. The prize winner will be recognized at the annual Midsouth Philosophy Conference held at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. The winner will read their paper in a special session of the conference. Winners of the prize will receive a cash award of $300, and their conference registration fee will be waived.
Submission Guidelines:
The competition is open to graduate students who are currently enrolled in a MA or PhD program, or who finished their degree within the six months prior to the deadline for submission.
Essays may be on any topic in philosophy.
Entries must be in English.
Entries must not exceed 3,000 words in length (excluding footnotes, bibliography, and abstract).
Entries must be include an abstract of no more than 100 words.
Essays must include a bibliography.
Entries must include statement of the total word count of the submission (including footnotes, bibliography, and abstract).
Entries that are too long or without an abstract will not be accepted. Submissions to the essay prize are regarded as submissions to the Midsouth Philosophy Conference.
Entries must be prepared for blind refereeing. There must be no reference to the author, either by name or department. Any references to the author’s own work, for example, should be given in such a form as not to identify the author.
Entries must be sent to Dr Jeremy Killian <jkillian@memphis.edu>. In your covering letter, state that your entry is a submission for the Nenon Graduate Student Essay Prize and provide your name, institution, address, and statement of your postgraduate student status, including details of the university where you are registered and the name(s) of your supervisor(s).
The Graduate Essay Prize competition closes at 11:59 PM CST on the closing date. Essays will not be accepted after this time, under any circumstances.
Entrants are strongly advised to prepare and submit their materials well in advance of the deadline, to avoid invalidating their submission due to formatting errors or technical problems.
Updated on 6 August 2025