In an ongoing effort to encourage thoughtful, academic discussions pertaining to naturism, the Naturist Education Foundation has established the NEF Scholastic Award. NEF offers the award of $1000 up to twice each year to the best original essay on the topic of naturism. Members of The Naturist Society who are currently enrolled in an accredited college may submit essays for the award. Winning essays may, upon approval of the magazine's editors, be published in Nude & Natural magazine.
NEF has as its mission the education of legislators, business owners, and the general public on matters pertaining to naturism. NEF recognizes that naturists attending colleges and universities have a unique opportunity to educate society about the values and advantages of social nudity. To this end NEF wishes to foster - through the NEF Scholastic Award - informed discussions on these matters. NEF encourages students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their education to the task of writing an original essay exploring one of the many aspects or implications of naturism.
Who may submit an essay for the NEF Scholastic Award?
Anyone with a current membership in his or her own name with The Naturist Society and who also is currently registered at an accredited two-or four-year college or university, as an undergraduate or graduate student, may submit an essay for the NEF Scholastic Award. The student's membership with TNS must be current upon submission of the essay and upon award of the $1000. The TNS membership must be in his or her name. Naturists not presently members of TNS may join TNS in order to submit an essay for the NEF Scholastic Award. TNS members may receive at most one such award, although there is no limit to the number of essays a student may submit. TNS staff, NEF board members, and their immediate families are not eligible for the NEF Scholastic Award.
What kind of essay may be submitted for the NEF Scholastic Award?
Essays submitted for the NEF Scholastic award must be original. That is, essays must be written by the students submitting them; they must not be plagiarized in any form; and they must not have been published in print or on the Internet. Students may use essays they have submitted for their class assignments. Students are encouraged to seek their instructor's assistance in editing and proofreading the essays prior to submission for the award.
Essays must address and focus on issues surrounding naturism. By "naturism" NEF refers to the practice of social nudity as defined by The Naturist Society: "Naturism: A Way of life in greater fidelity to nature, with a norm of full nudity in social life…when possible and appropriate. We aim to enhance acceptance and respect for one's self, other persons and the biosphere." More generally, naturism is to be understood, for the purposes of offering the NEF Scholastic Award, to pertain to non-erotic social nudity. This would include for instance, but not be limited to, topics such as the history of local naturist groups, biographies of key naturists around the world, analyses of legal issues pertaining to non-erotic social nudity, critiques of social policy relevant to naturism, exegeses of sacred texts concerning nudity, and assessments of naturism as it is found in painting, literature, film, and other arts. This would not include topics such as nudity in sex-work, strip bars, or exhibitionism. Essays may address naturism from the perspective of history, sociology, politics, law, art, religion, psychology, philosophy, or any other academic field within the Liberal Arts. If students are unsure about the relevancy of their essay topic, they may contact the NEF Scholastic Award Committee at the address below.
Submissions must be essays, not pieces of "creative writing," poetry, drama, or other forms of fictional prose. The purpose of each essay should be to educate thoughtful and critical readers on an issue of relevance to naturism.
Essays submitted must be 2500-5000 words in length. There is no demand for students to conform to a particular style sheet or manual of style. Essays should, however, follow standards of writing excellence expected of a superior college paper. Endnotes and bibliographies are neither required nor encouraged. Essays should supply some form of appropriate references to any quoted material, however, to avoid plagiarism. Essays may be single- or double-spaced. Please provide adequate margins.
In what format should essays be submitted for the NEF Scholastic Award?
Essays submitted for the NEF Scholastic Award should be submitted in English and electronically, either via email or on a disk. Microsoft Word is the preferred format, but NEF can probably translate whatever you send. A paper copy must also be submitted.
Those submitting essays are strongly encouraged also to send photos, graphics, maps, artwork, or diagrams that are pertinent to their text. Inability to submit such non-textual materials will in no way effect the chances of winning the NEF Scholastic Award. If a student's essay is chosen for the award, however, it may be published in Nude & Natural magazine and the magazine staff would be looking for photos and other visual materials to accompany the essay. Students whose essays are published may, if they wish, submit a photo of themselves to be used in the magazine along with their essay.
NEF does not guarantee that they will be able to return materials to those submitting essays, so retain copies of all materials you submit.
Where should essays be submitted for the NEF Scholastic Award?
Mail disk and paper versions of essays to NEF Scholastic Award, PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903. Email copies may be sent to naturist@naturistsociety.com. Include with the essay your name, current TNS number assigned to your name, a copy of your current student body card or other form of proof of current registration, your mailing address, phone number, and email address.
When are the deadlines for submissions for the NEF Scholastic Award?
The deadlines for the NEF Scholastic Award are January 1 and July 1 of each year. For essays to be considered for the upcoming award, they must be postmarked by these dates. Essays will be considered over the course of two and only two deadlines. That is, if an essay does not win an award upon submission, the NEF Scholastic Award Committee will retain the essay and consider it among those submitted for the next deadline and the next deadline only.
Who determines the recipients of the NEF Scholastic Awards?
The Naturist Education Foundation consists of the nine board members democratically elected to the Naturist Action Committee by the membership of The Naturist Society. The NEF board has established the NEF Scholastic Award Committee, consisting of NEF board members and others they may select from outside the NEF board. Members of the NEF Scholastic Award Committee are selected on the basis of their experience in academia, writing, editing, publishing, naturism, and development of scholarship or award programs.
How will the essays submitted for the NEF Scholastic Award be judged?
The NEF Scholastic Award Committee will read essays with an eye for relevance to naturism, for excellence in presentation, for originality, for the topic's interest value, for accuracy of information provided, and for strength of argument. All winning essays will be of a quality high enough for publication in Nude & Natural magazine. If no essays submitted are deemed by the NEF Scholastic Award Committee to merit the award, then no award will be given for that six-month period. All students submitting essays for the award will be informed of the results within six weeks of each deadline.
What else do students need to know if they are interested in submitting essays for the NEF Scholastic Award?
The Naturist Education Foundation retains the non-exclusive right to publish all essays submitted for the NEF Scholastic Award. Recipients of the NEF Scholastic Award are responsible for any taxes they may accrue due to receiving the award. If anyone has any specific questions not addressed here, please contact NEF at:
NATURIST EDUCATION FOUNDATION
P.O. BOX 132
OSHKOSH, WI 53903
TEL (512) 282-6621
FAX (512) 282-2503
EMAIL ctnudists@aol.com
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