The Palamountain Prose Award is an annual student writing competition in honor of the late President Joseph C. Palamountain, Jr., in recognition of his dedication to academic excellence and achievement. Two awards (one for first-year student and sophomore submissions, and another for junior and senior entries) in the amount of $1000 each, have been made possible through the generosity of the late Admiral Gene Markey (USNR), whose interest in Saratoga Springs and in writing led him to provide this forum for fine prose writing at Skidmore. The awards are presented at Honors Convocation. 

Entries may be non-fiction papers, personal essays, or brief analytical papers on any subject, and may have been written for a specific course in the fall or spring semester or for this occasion. If the paper was written for a specific course, the Award Committee would appreciate receiving from the nominating faculty members a description of the assignment.All entries must be nominated by a member of the faculty. Typically, the Committee has awarded the Palamountain prize to essays that do more than successfully fulfill an assignment. These essays speak to a larger audience than the writer’s classmates; they reflect a sense of style and voice that makes them truly enjoyable pieces to read. The committee reserves the right to choose two prize papers from one category, i.e. freshman/sophomore or junior/senior, or to confer only one award from either category.

All entries must be nominated by a faculty member or submitted by the student to a member of the faculty for nomination. Entries must be accompanied by a brief statement from the faculty member supporting the nomination. Entries from first-year students and sophomores should not exceed 10 typed pages. Entries from juniors and seniors should be no longer than 15 typed pages.   One original and 4 copies (total of 5) of each entry should be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Studies. For submission deadline, contact the Office of the Dean of Studies.