Schultz-Werth Award

Information and Guidelines for Schultz-Werth Award Applications

Objective

The purpose of the Schultz-Werth award competition is stimulation and recognition of scholarly achievements of undergraduate students.

The Awards

Awards not to exceed $2,500 per student will be awarded at the end of the academic year to one or more senior students judged by the Award Committee to have submitted outstanding papers or research reports. Judging is based primarily on originality, scholarship and creativity of the work submitted and is open to students in all undergraduate majors of the University. No award of less than $250 will be given, if the paper is selected for an award.

Application Deadline

The application for the 2025 Schultz-Werth competition is now open. The application link can be found below. The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2025.

Students are encouraged to read through the guidelines and additional information found below before preparing their paper for competition.

Guidelines for Papers

Papers considered for the Schultz-Werth Award must demonstrate independent scholarly or creative effort. The paper must provide evidence to verify that the work is truly original and independent.

Research/creative methods used may include, but are not limited to, library research, experimental design, statistical application, survey design, historical or descriptive research or creative and performing arts. The methodology utilized will depend upon the topic and discipline of the study. Proposals for projects are not eligible for award consideration.

The Schultz-Werth Award Committee encourages submission of projects from all disciplines at SDSU. The approach of the study or project, however, will vary from discipline to discipline. For example, a project submitted in the area of fine arts would undoubtedly differ from one submitted in the area of engineering or sociology.

In general, a student should approach his or her project in the manner which would seem most appropriate for the selected topic. Students are advised to follow a format which is used within their fields or disciplines. While a faculty adviser may supervise the project, it is required that the research be that of the student only and not a collaborative effort. The student must be the single author; this means co-authored papers will not be eligible for the award. The committee will give preference to original topics over variations on on-going research/scholarship/creative activity.

If the student work has been published, the student shall include a copy of their work as submitted for publication. If the published work was written collaboratively with others, the student shall submit a paper written independently in addition to the published work. The independent paper may include the sections of the published manuscript written by the student prior to revisions based on reviewer feedback. In the case that the work has been published, the student will be evaluated only on their solo, pre-publication work.

The judging of the papers will based upon scholarship, creativity and originality.

Rules and Application Procedures

1. All papers must be typed and will be submitted and judged in one of two categories:
   1. Social sciences, arts and humanities.
   2. Physical and biological sciences, engineering and mathematics.
2. A student may receive only one Schultz-Werth Award during their college career at SDSU.
3. In order to be eligible for the award, a student must be enrolled as a senior undergraduate student at SDSU (90+ semester credit hours completed) during the spring 2026 semester and not yet earned a baccalaureate degree. Students who will be graduating in spring 2027 or beyond are not eligible to apply this year. The Fishback Honors College will verify enrollment status with the Records Office.
4. Upon deciding to enter this competition, applicants shall submit:
   1. Application for the Schultz-Werth Award.
   2. A one paragraph summary written for general audiences.
   3. Biographical data.
   4. Paper on completed research, scholarship or creative project.
5. The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
6. The awards shall be presented to the students who, in the judgment of the award committee, present papers best exemplifying originality, creativity and scholarship. Students are cautioned to avoid plagiarism or poor documentation that suggests plagiarism.
7. Individual authorship is required. Faculty may be acknowledged but cannot be co-authors. Signatures of the student and project mentor will be required verifying that the research, scholarship or creative activity is original and independent work of the student.

The Award Committee

The Schultz-Werth Award Committee consists of faculty members representing the physical and biological sciences, social sciences, humanities and fine arts. The Dean of the Fishback Honors College convenes the committee and serves as its chairperson. Participation in the Fishback Honors College is not required for Schultz-Werth Award consideration.

Suggestions for Student Applicants

Papers submitted for the Schultz-Werth Award may be an expansion of independent research or study assigned in a course, or it may be a project conducted outside of your classes. Though scholarly in nature, papers should be written so that they may be understood by educated readers from a broad range of academic disciplines.

Students are encouraged to seek advice and guidance from professors, instructors and advisers.

Utilize writing manuals to aid in your style and format. The following guides are available at the Information Desk at Briggs Library:

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (New York: Modern Language Association of America)
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association)
• Turabian, Kate L. Student's Guide for Writing College Papers (Chicago: University of Chicago Press)

Students are welcome to examine previous Schultz-Werth award papers, available in the Archive Room in Hilton M. Briggs Library.

Schultz-Werth Award Submission Form