FAQ

  • THEME
    You say “the contest does not have a single theme.” Can we write on pretty much anything?
    The Fountain features a variety of topics from different fields of social and natural sciences with something common in all. “Awareness of God Almighty and being thankful for His blessings” is a unique element in the mission of our magazine and in this essay contest; this is why we try to allow room for publication of articles from diverse fields of study and scholarship. God and His blessings comprehend all spheres of our life, with no difference whether we are a historian at school, a chemist in the lab, or an ordinary person in the street. In this contest, we expect contributions from any "social science" and reward the best expression of our thankfulness to the Divine; this is possible in every branch of learning, so we did not want to limit our coverage to a specific theme.
  • RELIGION AND SCIENCE
    How about an essay on the relationship between religion and science?
    The relationship between religion and science falls under the category of philosophy, so it is a social science. An essay on such a topic is eligible.
  • REFERENCES
    Do we have to include references, bibliography, notes, etc. as in an academic journal?
    The Fountain is not a journal. So, we do not expect a full scale reference list for all the information you provide. But, we encourage contributors to provide at least a reasonable number of references (not more than four or five) especially for the arguments borrowed from other sources, for it would make your work more reliable. If the kind of information you provide needs citation, please do; but essays with lengthy references are not preferred. Some reference and recommendations for further reading may help readers who are interested in the essay. "Accuracy of data" is expected in essays in which information provided needs sourcing. An essay based on personal experience does not require citation, and it is equally acceptable.
  • WORD COUNT
    Does the word count limit include the bibliography or just the essay itself?
    The Fountain is not a full-scale academic journal, so we expect the authors to keep the references not more than five or six. Notes can be more. So, references and notes do not make a big change in the word count which has been announced to be between 1,500 and 2,500. A range is always necessary to be able to have an objective measure in terms of size.
  • STYLE
    What kind of writing style do you expect? Can we use informal phrases? Is this essay supposed to be a personal opinion, or more of a scholarly supported fact?
    In writing style, we mainly seek consistency. We prefer Chicago Manual of Style, but if you are more familiar with APA, that is also acceptable. Some informal usages can be OK in a certain essay, but not in another.
  • Would an essay in the short story genre qualify for the contest
    Possibly
    Yes.
  • PUBLISH
    Are you going to publish essays anywhere?
    We are thinking of publishing contributions in The Fountain, even if they couldn't win any prize.
  • NUMBER OF ENTRY
    Can I submit more than one essay?
    No. One entry per person.
  • DEVOTIONAL ESSAY
    What do you mean with “devotional essay”?
    We define "devotional" those essays that "propagate" a certain spiritual order, a religious denomination, a sheikh or spiritual leader, etc. in a way that subordinates all other faiths. The topic you describe does not fall into this description, as far as your description goes.
  • EVALUATION
    Who will determine the winners? Can you explain more specifically what you are looking for in a winner?
    The winners will be determined by our board who will decide according to the literary effectiveness of the essay in reflecting our appreciativeness, richness in content, and authenticity.
  • SUBMISSION
    How am I going to submit my essay?
    Please use the "send file" log on the “submit your essay” page. After filling out the form, attach your document and send it.
  • DEADLINE
    When is the last day for submissions?
     June 15.
  • WINNERS
    When will the winners be announced?
    July 15.
  • ELIGIBILITY
    I am a former (graduate) student; Am I still eligible to participate in this contest?
    Yes, you can. There is neither age limit nor a condition to be a fresh graduate. The reason why we emphasize graduate and undergraduate students is because the publicity mailings have mainly been sent to colleges and universities.
  • STUDENT RESEARCH
    Are papers based on student research acceptable for this contest? Yes.
  • “MATTER & BEYOND” VIDEOS
    - Is it okay that I use ideas from the videos to supplement my essay?
    - If it is, do I have to site the videos or make some sort of reference to them?
    Yes, you can use ideas from the videos. It is not necessary, but it would be nicer if you cited them.
  • PREVIOUS CONTESTS
    I was wondering if you had run this contest before and had examples of previous work that had been selected as a winner.
    This is the first time we are running such a contest, so we do not have a winner ye    t.