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Philosophy Prizes
Below are listed four annual prizes in philosophy for which both Harvard undergraduate and graduate students may compete.

All prize descriptions are taken from the Website of the FAS Office of the Secretary.

The George Plimpton Adams Prize and the Emily & Charles Carrier Prize do not require special application.

For the Edwin Bechtel Prize and the Francis Bowen Prize, please note the following submission requirements:

Submission Requirements:

For general information on prizes, please go to the Office of the Secretary website, http://secfas.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do. Click on "Prize Office" in the left-hand navigation links. On the Prize Office page, visit the links to the General Descriptions of and Prize Deadlines for the Bechtel and Bowen prizes by scrolling down the page.

In particular, note that a submission must be the original work of the competitor. Entries must be neat, legible, typed, and double-spaced. 

Submission Instructions—Please Read Carefully

This year all papers must be submitted by email attachment no later than Friday, April 27, 2012 at 5 PM.  Papers received after 5 PM will not be accepted. 

Please send an email to Vivian McLemore (vmclemore@fas.harvard.edu) and include the following information in the email:

1. Both your actual name and the pseudonym that will appear on your entry
2. The prize for which you are submitting the paper
3. Title of paper
4. Class year
5. Your email address plus local contact information and summer contact information.

Attached to this paper, please include a Word or PDF attachment of your paper (no other types of attachments will be accepted).

The title page of your paper must include the following information:
           
1. The title
2. Your pseudonym only
3. Submittal date
4. The prize for which you are submitting paper

If you are applying for both the Bechtel and Bowen prizes, please submit two (2) copies, one with the title page indicating that it is a submission for the Bechtel Prize, and the other with a title page indicating that it is a submission for the Bowen Prize.

Winning papers will be deposited with the Curator of the Harvard University Archives, Pusey Library. No stipend can be paid until this rule is complied with, and the Archives will have final determination of what is an acceptable copy. Format and specifications information is available under the section on General Descriptions described above.

If you have additional questions, please contact Ruth Kolodney at ruth_kolodney@harvard.edu or 495-9710.

George Plimpton Adams Prize

  
From the fund established in 1974 for the Department of Philosophy by Beatrice Carrier Seegal in memory of Professor George Plimpton Adams, who guided her philosophy studies at the University of California, a prize will be awarded to a College or Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student submitting a dissertation on a subject designated by the Department of Philosophy, preferably in the field of history of philosophy. All senior honors theses and all doctoral dissertations which are eligible under the terms of this prize will be considered without special application. Further information may be obtained from the office of the Department of Philosophy.

Bechtel Prize in Philosophy

  
Through the generosity of Edwin De T. Bechtel, a prize will be awarded annually for the best essay on a philosophical subject. Any philosophical topic is admissible as long as it can be treated with little or no use of technical symbols. The prize is open to students registered in Harvard College or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It will be "awarded by a Committee of the Department of Philosophy, if the Committee unanimously determines that it is a work of merit, fully deserving the award of the Prize." Essays must not exceed 10,000 words.

Francis Bowen Prize

  
The Francis Bowen Prize was established in 1938 by a bequest from Miss Maria Bowen as a memorial to her father who held the Alford professorship of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity from 1853 to 1889. The prize will be conferred annually for the best essay upon a subject in moral or political philosophy, and is open to students registered in Harvard College or in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Essays must not exceed 10,000 words in length.

Emily & Charles Carrier Prize

  
From the income of a fund established in 1974 for the Department of Philosophy by Beatrice Carrier Seegal in memory of her parents Emily and Charles Carrier, a prize will be awarded to a College or Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student submitting a dissertation on a subject in social, political, or moral philosophy. All senior honors theses and all doctoral dissertations which are eligible under the terms of this prize will be considered without special application. Further information may be obtained from the office of the Department of Philosophy.
The Three Philosophers

 The Three Philosophers: Josiah Royce, George Herbert Palmer and William James

Painting by Winifred Rieber, 1872 - 1963
c. 1920.

This painting currently hangs in Emerson 105.

Dorothy Rieber Joralemon wrote an article for American Heritage Magazine about her mother's experiences while painting this portrait. It provides some interesting insights into the personalities of the philosophers at Harvard during the "Golden Age."
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