Bernice L. Fox Classics Writing Contest

# Bernice L. Fox Classics Writing Contest The Fox Classics Writing Contest was established in 1985 by the Classics Department at Monmouth College to honor Dr. Bernice L. Fox, who taught English, Latin and Greek at the college from 1947 to 1981 and worked to promote the classics in Illinois schools. The contest has run annually ever since. Each year the department publishes a theme connecting the ancient world to something broader - the 2026 theme was "Classical Adaptions, Retained Essences" - and invites students to respond in whatever form they choose. ## What You'll Do - Write an original piece responding to the year's announced classical theme - Choose your own form: "a short story, essay, play, poem, or original literary work of any other sort" - Draw on Latin, Greek, mythology, ancient history or classical reception as you see fit - Submit through the Monmouth College Classics Department by the annual deadline - Join a list of winners the department has published continuously since 1985 ## Who Should Apply "Any student enrolled full-time in high school anywhere in the world during the current school year" may enter. No Latin or Greek coursework is required - students who have encountered the classics through mythology, history or literature classes are equally eligible, and there is no published entry fee. ## Outcomes The author of the best entry receives a $250 award, and winners and honorable mentions are listed publicly by the Monmouth College Classics Department. For students building a humanities profile, a national classics writing award from a college department is a concrete, verifiable credential that most classics contests - which are exam-based - do not offer.