We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2025-2026 Staff Essay Contest:
Matthew Eaton (Princeton Writes Prize)
Julie Meyers, Yana Vierboom, and Angelina Yazdani (Honorable Mentions)
Links to their outstanding essays can be found below,
and you can learn more about our honorees on Inside Princeton.
The Princeton Writes Prize, which was first awarded in 2015, is designed to encourage and recognize outstanding writing on the part of University staff. Administered by Princeton Writes in collaboration with the Humanities Council and University Advancement, this initiative draws inspiration from the late William Zinsser of the Class of 1944, whose guide for writers of nonfiction, On Writing Well, has influenced generations of wordsmiths.
Topic for 2025-2026
Eligibility
The contest is open to all regular members of the University’s academic professional, administrative, and support staffs. Unfortunately, we do not accept submissions from faculty and students or staff at affiliated institutions.
Selection Criteria
We encourage you to think broadly about the topic and to connect these reflections to specific moments you have experienced or witnessed. Essays will be evaluated on how clearly, creatively, and compellingly they address the topic. Favorable consideration will be given to submissions that are written in a lucid manner, with a strong opening and closing, well-defined points, and smooth transitions; that exhibit imagination in their choice of focus and use of language; and that not only inform but also move their readers in some way. A secondary emphasis will be placed on grammatical correctness. While creative nonfiction is welcome, poetry and purely fictional narratives, as well as academic papers, fall outside the scope of this contest. Essays must be submitted in English. The selection committee will judge each essay on its merits, without any identifying information as to its author.
Submission Process
The deadline for submissions is March 2, 2026. To be considered, essays must be between 750 and 1,250 words. Please use a Microsoft Word document (not a PDF), double-spacing, and a 12-point font. We encourage you to create a title for your essay. Essays should be sent as email attachments to essaycontest@princeton.edu, and while the essay itself should not identify you, the email should contain your full name, department, and telephone number. The email should also include the following statement: I, [insert name], certify that the words in this essay are exclusively my own and that AI composition software was not employed in its creation. Staff without access to a computer should contact Princeton Writes at (609) 258-8633 to make alternative arrangements.
Awards
The Princeton Writes Prize and up to three honorable mentions will be awarded in late April and announced in early May. The winner of the Princeton Writes Prize will receive $1,200 in the form of a single, taxable, lump sum payment, as well as a certificate of accomplishment and a copy of On Writing Well by the late William Zinsser ’44. Honorable mention recipients will also receive a certificate and a copy of On Writing Well. A reception in honor of the awardees and all contestants will be held in June, and the winning essays will be printed in booklet form and posted on this website for others to enjoy.
Winners are determined by a selection committee composed of experienced writers from across the University: John Weeren, Director, Princeton Writes; Kathy Crown, Executive Director, Humanities Council; Leda Kopach, Director, Marketing, University Advancement; Jamie Saxon, Arts and Humanities Writer, Office of Communications; Adrianne DaPonte, Senior Associate Director, Fundraising Initiatives, University Advancement; Bryant Blount, Associate Director of Administration, Department of Public Safety; Alison Cummins, Office and Events Coordinator, Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies; and Pooja Makhijani, Communications Manager, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.
Honorees
Princeton Writes Prize
2025-2026: Matthew Eaton, Director of Information Technology, Office of Admission, for his essay “Carry On.”
2024-2025: Shanaz Khan, Sponsored Research Accounting Analyst, Office of Finance and Treasury, for her essay, “Keep Jammin’ On.”
2023-2024: Alison Cummins, Office and Events Coordinator, Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies, for her essay “The Blue Room.”
2022-2023: Colton Poore, Communications Specialist, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, for his essay “Me and the Bees.”
2021-2022: Wendy Plump, Communications Specialist, Chemistry, for her essay “Walking a Mile in My Shoes.”
2020-2021: Kaan Cankat, Senior Research Specialist, Industrial Relations Section, for his essay “On Your Terms.”
2019-2020: Anita Kline, Manager, Center for the Study of Religion, for her essay “The Harwood Brothers.”
2018-2019: Kira O’Brien, Program Coordinator, Pace Center for Civic Engagement, for her essay “Water, Wine & Marinara.”
2017-2018: Dana Sheridan, Cotsen Education and Outreach Coordinator, Princeton University Library, for her essay “She Still Hasn’t Told Me Her Name.”
2016-2017: Thomas Dunne, Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Students, for his essay “Anonymous Monument.”
2015-2016: Bryant Blount, Assistant Dean, Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, for his untitled essay on his first encounter with Japan.
2014-2015: Marianna Bogucki, Conference and Event Manager, Conference and Event Services, for her essay “November Light.”
Honorable Mentions
2025-2026: Julie Meyers, Associate Director, Stewardship, University Advancement, for her essay, “Show Me Your Papers.”
2025-2026: Yana Vierboom, Associate Research Scholar, Office of Population Research, for her essay, “Our New Home.”
2025-2026: Angelina Yazdani, Research Specialist, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, for her essay, “The Scribe’s Gift.”
2024-2025: Calvin Chin, Director, Counseling and Psychological Services,University Health Services, for his essay, “Dog Park.”
2024-2025: Jacqui Hance, Marketing and Public Relations Associate, Princeton University Art Museum, for her essay, “Joe to Stay: Finding My Place in the Small World.”
2024-2025: Eric Martin, Associate Director, Donor Relations, University Advancement, for his essay, “Blind Confidence.”
2023-2024: Joseph Gessner, Mail Carrier, Print and Mail Services, for his essay “A Thousand Trees from Now.”
2023-2024: Julie Meyers, Associate Director, Donor Relations, University Advancement, for her essay “Hidden Daggers.”
2023-2024: Alice Señeres, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, The Graduate School, for her essay “Tell Me About It.”
2022-2023: Robyn Howard, College Program Administrator, Butler College, for her essay “Scenes on Wheels, Costumes in Motion.”
2022-2023: Dianne Spatafore, College Program Administrator, New College West, for her essay “Finding Magic in the Moments.”
2022-2023: Derek Ziegler, Assistant Director for Emergency Preparedness, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, for his essay “The Voice (Is Not for Sharing).”
2021-2022: Hilary Herbold, Assistant Director of Urgent Care, University Health Services, for her essay “Pandemic Loss, Racial Reckoning, and a Cursed Toolbox.”
2021-2022: Gina Migliaccio, Graduate Administrator, Art and Archaeology, for her essay “The Wall.”
2021-2022: Anna Stroinski, Department Coordinator, Politics, for her essay “Blue Shutters, Red Door.”
2020-2021: Courtney Coffman, Manager of Lectures and Publications, School of Architecture, for her essay “Everything in Its Right Place.”
2020-2021: Lauren Cutrone, College Office Coordinator, Butler College, for her essay “The Things We Mend.”
2020-2021: Jennifer Speed, Research Development Strategist, Office of the Dean for Research, for her essay “Somewhere Between ‘Life Before’ and ‘When It’s Over.’”
2019-2020: Emily Crosby, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Admission Office, for her essay “It’s Steak Tip Day Today.”
2019-2020: John Delap, Project Analyst, Office of the Provost, for his essay “Kindness, Communion & Tuna.”
2019-2020: Maggie Hussar, Community Action Program Coordinator, Pace Center for Civic Engagement, for her essay “The Seed.”
2018-2019: Anna Braverman, Psychologist, University Health Services, for her essay “Sing!”
2018-2019: Jeff Labrecque, Marketing Writer, University Advancement, for his essay “The Undeniable Scientific Superiority of Seat F7.”
2018-2019: Gwen McNamara, Communications Specialist, Pace Center for Civic Engagement, for her essay “The ‘Crick’.”
2017-2018: Melissa Moss, Communications Strategist for the Sciences, Office of Communications, for her essay “Two Autumns.”
2017-2018: Dianne Spatafore, Director of Campus Club, Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, for her untitled essay on life in a children’s hospital.
2017-2018: Carla M. Zimowsk, Technology Services Manager, Department of History, for her essay “Arkadaş.”
2016-2017: Matthew Eaton, Information Technology Manager, Office of Admission, for his essay “A Guide to Princeton’s Wonderland.”
2016-2017: Jonathan Horowitz, Associate Director for Digital Communications, Office of Alumni Affairs, for his essay “Wired.”
2016-2017: Gwen McNamara, Communications Coordinator, Pace Center for Civic Engagement, for her essay “Trail Walk.”
2015-2016: April Armstrong, Special Collections Assistant, Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, for her essay “Divided by an Invisible Distance.”
2015-2016: Violette Chamoun, Operations Manager, Forbes College, Campus Dining, for her essay “A Taste for Diversity.”
2015-2016: Brian Mondschein, First Assistant Coach, Women’s Track and Field, Athletics, for his essay “Returning to Levittown.”
2014-2015: Ruth McGuire, Senior Bibliographic Specialist, Princeton University Library, for her essay “In the Plaza.”
2014-2015: Jamie Saxon, Arts and Humanities Writer, Office of Communications, for her untitled essay on attending concerts in Richardson Auditorium.
2014-2015: Dana Sheridan, Cotsen Education and Outreach Coordinator, Princeton University Library, for her essay “5 a.m.”