How to Apply

Eligibility

• All currently enrolled UC Davis graduate students, professional students and postdoctoral scholars are eligible to apply.
• Students may submit one individually authored work or one team-authored work to which they were the first author.
• The submitted work must be an unpublished, original work by a UC Davis graduate student, professional student or postdoctoral scholar. Examples of eligible work include but are not limited to:
  • research articles
  • dissertation or thesis chapters
  • essays
  • reports on research projects
  • creative works (e.g., plays, exhibits, poetry, performance)
  • evidence-based practice projects
  • quality improvement projects
• Students must have engaged with library resources or services in the creation of their submitted work.
• Prize winners agree to attend the prize ceremony at Shields Library where they will be honored and have an opportunity to give remarks about their scholarship and use of the library.

Important Dates

Application Process

The Graduate Student Prize application includes the work itself and a cover letter:

• The work should be in a format that can be submitted via the Graduate Prize Application Portal. Each file must be fewer than 10MB. If that is not possible, please submit a document that provides a detailed description of the project in sufficient detail to allow its merits to be judged for execution, clarity, quality of composition, and integration of library resources. If the project is online, please include the URL.
• The cover letter should be limited to 750 words and explain:
  • How did your use of the library deepen and extend your scholarly inquiry? Did you engage with any specific resources, services, or people in the library, and how did these interactions enhance your work?
  • Please briefly explain your scholarly topic and its significance to your field. How does your scholarship aim to address historical or methodological biases, challenge assumptions in your field, or incorporate underexplored perspectives?
  • What are the potential real-world applications of your scholarship? Examples may include (but aren’t limited to) policy, practice, education, entrepreneurship, or community-driven initiatives. How might your work help address real-world problems, reduce disparities, or promote broader societal benefit?

Apply for the Grad Prize by using the Application Portal.

You will be asked to provide your information, a statement on your use of Artificial Intelligence, and agree to the following acknowledgements:

• Copyright Acknowledgement: You retain ownership of the copyright in your submission to the Library Graduate Student Prize. Should your work be selected as a winner, we will contact you to discuss options if you are interested in making your work publicly accessible.
• Personal Data Acknowledgement: By submitting this application you agree to the use of any personal details provided in this form for the purposes of facilitating the Graduate Student Prize, including but not limited to announcement of the winner(s).
• Authorship Confirmation: I confirm that the submitted work and application materials are my own or my author group’s. Any content that is not my own or my author group’s, including content from tools such as generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, GrammarlyGO, etc.), has been properly acknowledged (tips and style examples for citing generative AI are available from APA, MLA, Chicago Manual Style, and more). I understand that plagiarism will disqualify me from consideration for the Library Graduate Student Prize.
• Artificial Intelligence Disclosure: Applicants may use artificial intelligence tools to help them develop and edit their application materials. If AI tools are used, applicants must provide (1) the AI system(s) used, including the version, if applicable, (2) a description of where and how the tool(s) were used (e.g., translation, editing, grammar enhancement, or text creation), and (3) agreement with the authorship confirmation, attesting that the application presents the applicant’s own ideas and intellectual work. If you did not use AI tools in your application materials, please write “No AI tools/technologies were used to help develop or edit my application materials.”
  • Read the AI Policy page for more information on artificial intelligence use in submitted works and application materials.

Questions? Check our Frequently Asked Questions first, then email librarygradstudentprize@ucdavis.edu if needed.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

A panel of faculty members and representatives from the library will carefully review submitted applications. Where possible, use language that is accessible to a general audience since your application may be read by reviewers outside your field. The panel will use the following evaluation criteria:

• For scholarly research or creative work:
  • excellent execution, clarity and quality of composition
  • skilled integration of resources
• For cover letter and/or scholarly work:
  • advanced identification of research tools and techniques relevant to the inquiry
  • engagement with library resources, services, or approaches unique or appropriate to the discipline
  • clear articulation of how the library resources and services used deepened, extended, or enhanced the work
  • clear explanation of the topic and significance of the work.
  • clear, specific, and compelling explanation for how the work aims to address historical or methodological biases, challenge assumptions in the field, or incorporate underexplored perspectives
  • clear potential for real-world applications
  • clear, insightful, and compelling explanation of how the work might help address real-world problems, reduce disparities, or promote broader societal benefit
  • inclusion of examples for all of the above points

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Apply for the Library Graduate Student Prize

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