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Topic: Hindsight in 2020

The saying “hindsight is 20/20” refers to the notion that it is easier to evaluate choices and understand events and their consequences after they have already occurred. Your task is to imagine how a historical, literary, or mythological figure from antiquity might have acted differently if they knew then what we know now. You may choose to focus on a single event and its repercussions or examine a pattern of behavior or a general character trait in light of current knowledge.

Contest Parameters and Judging

This contest is open to any student enrolled full-time in high school anywhere in the world during the current school year. An award of $250 will be given to the author of the best entry, which may take the form of a short story, essay, play, poem, or original literary work of any other sort.

Entries will be judged on accuracy to ancient sources, appropriate use of those sources, originality, quality of material, thematic development, correctness of English style, and effectiveness of presentation.

Contest Guidelines

  • Entries must fit the theme of this year’s contest and must be in English.
  • Entries must be typed and printed (no electronic submissions). Printing on both sides of a page is encouraged.
  • There is no minimum or maximum length.
  • The entrant's name and school must not appear on the entry. Instead, contestants should place a personal identification code (a randomly selected nine-character series) on the top left-hand corner of every page of the entry and include with their submission a separate 8.5 x 11-inch sheet of paper containing the following information:
    • author’s name, date of birth, and personal identification code
    • school name, address, and phone number
    • teacher’s name
  • No more than ten entries will be accepted from any individual school, and only one entry per student will be accepted.
  • Failure to follow these guidelines will result in disqualification.
  • All entries become the property of Monmouth College.
  • Every entrant will receive a certificate of participation from Monmouth College.
  • The winner will be announced on or close to April 15th on the contest website.
  • For further information, including a list of previous winners, please consult the contest website (http://department.monm.edu/classics/Department/FoxContest/).
  • Send any questions to Dr. Adrienne Hagen at amhagen@monmouthcollege.edu.

All entries must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2020, and mailed to the following address:

Dr. Adrienne Hagen, Monmouth College, 700 E. Broadway Ave., Monmouth, IL 61462

About Bernice L. Fox

The Fox Classics Writing contest was established in 1985 by Dr. Tom Sienkewicz and the Department of Classics at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, to honor Bernice L. Fox, to promote the study of Latin and the Classics in high schools, and to recognize the good work of high school students.

Bernice L. Fox taught courses in English, Latin and Greek at Monmouth College from 1947 to 1981, and served as chair of the Department of Classics from 1970 until her retirement in 1981. Throughout her long and dynamic career, she worked tirelessly to promote the Classics in Illinois high schools and colleges. She is also the author of Tela Charlottae, the Latin translation of E. B. White's Charlotte's Web. In 1991, Monmouth College conferred on her the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. She died in 2003.

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(Photo: "Handwritten" by A. Birkan, licensed under CC BY 2.0)