Are you a writer? The next Joan Didion, perhaps? Do you want to see your byline in a magazine? If so, now’s your chance! California, the Cal Alumni Associations’s award-winning magazine, is launching a brand new “Student View” column and we want to feature you.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Prompt: Write a short (400-600 word) essay that answers the question: What makes your generation unique?
We encourage you to look outside yourself and write in a style that expresses your views clearly and concisely. If your entry is selected for publication, California‘s editors will work with you to make the piece as good as it can be.
Need inspiration? You could hardly do better than revisit Cal alumna Joan Didion’s famous essay and 1976 Regents’ Lecture, “Why I Write” or her very first essay for Vogue in 1961, “On Self-Respect.”
Deadline: October 20, 2021 at 5pm PST
Prizes: The winning essay (chosen by our editorial staff) will be featured in our Winter 2021 print issue. The winner and two runners-up will also be published on our website.
Who can enter: Current UC Berkeley students
How to submit: Email your entry to californiamag@alumni.berkeley.edu with “Winter 2021 Column Contest” in the subject by October 20, 2021 at 5pm PST. Feel free to email us if you have any questions.
Previous winners:
Fall 2021
- Winner: “The Seasons Still Change” —Maya Thompson
- Runner Up: “Solace from the Sunrise” —Rina Rossi
- Runner Up: “To Hold and Be Held” —Annie Chen
Summer 2021
- Winner: “The Seasons Still Change” —Annabelle Long
- Runner Up: “Sunsets and Little Things” —Shreya Ramesh
- Runner Up: “The Power of ‘No’” —Camron King
