The Louise and Richard Goodwin Prize

for Excellence in Theological Writing

The Louise and Richard Goodwin Writing Prize for Excellence in Theological Writing is given to graduate students in recognition of essays that demonstrate:

• creative theological thinking,
• excellence in scholarship,
• faithful witness to the Christian tradition, and
• engagement with the community of faith.

The writing prize is awarded by the Board of Directors of Theological Horizons, a non-profit corporation fostering reflection and responsibility in the church, the community, and the academy.

Three chances to win:

$2000 prize

$1000 prize

$500 prize

with $500 given to the professor of the winning student

Winning essays may be submitted to peer-reviewed theological journals for publication consideration.

Submissions must be postmarked by June 1, 2010.

Eligibility requirements and submission guidelines:

• The writer must be a masters or pre-dissertation doctoral student
• The submission must be an original, unpublished essay
• Please submit your manuscript as a single-document email attachment (in Microsoft Word format) to info@theologicalhorizons.org and one hard copy to Theological Horizons, 1841 University Circle, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
• This document should include:
• The author’s name and brief biographical information
• A title for the essay
• An abstract (100 words or less) at the beginning of the document
• The body of the essay
• The suggested length for submissions is 5000 words
• Please include your name, permanent postal address, email address, and telephone number

For further submission guidelines typical of a peer-reviewed journal go to link.

The prize is endowed by a generous gift from Mr. & Mrs. Frank Garrett Louthan III in loving memory of Mrs. Louthan’s parents, Mr. & Mrs. Richard T. Goodwin of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

For more information on the Louise and Richard Goodwin Writing Prize

for Excellence in Theological Writing, contact:

Karen Wright Marsh

Theological Horizons

1841 University Circle, Charlottesville, VA 22903

434.244.2839

info@theologicalhorizons.org 

2009 Goodwin Prize Winners:

$1000 Prize: Mary Emily Briehl Duba

"The Irreducible Image:

Finding the Imago Dei in the Aftermath of Genocide

a theology of the cross"

Read the abstract

$500 Prize: Shelli Poe-Messner

"To Know and Love God:

Charles Hartshorne on the Relation between God and the World"

Read the abstract

$100 Prize: Dennis Feltwell

"Go Home and Proclaim:
Rediscovering Mark 5:1-20 in Light of a Theology of Ministry"

Read the abstract

Past Goodwin Prize Winners:

2008 Prize Winners:

$1000 Prize :  Matthew Whelan

"Good Use of an Immeasurable Gift:

Theology and the Practice of Agriculture" 

Read the abstract

$500 Prize : Kathryn L. Reinhard

"Communion and Schism:

The Church and the Divine Economy"

Read the abstract

$100 Prize : Jason C. Helveston

"Communicating You:

The Theological Realities and Implications of Internet Communities"

Read the abstract

Matthew Kustenbauder, 2007 winner

For his essay, "What's In A Name? Foundations of Christian Mission: God's Incarnation in Jesus Christ and the Ongoing Work of Translation."

To read the announcement of the 2007 prize

Kendall Cox, 2006 winner

For her essay, " The Trinitarian Dialectic of Creative Fullness and God’s Shared Mission of Suffering Love." 

To read the announcement of the 2006 prize and an interview with Kendall Cox

Jacob Paul, 2003 winner
For his essay, “Reconciliation, Conversion, Politics: Dalit Theology and the Diaspora.”
To read an interview with Jacob Paul: Jacob Paul Interview

John Kiess, 2001 winner
For his essay, “Waiting With Christ in Gethsemane.”
To read an abstract of John Kiess’s piece: Kiess Essay

Did It Make A Difference?

The Latest from Goodwin Writing Prize Winners

The Goodwin Writing Prize is “a huge gift – so exciting, so encouraging.  Knowing that what you are writing about and working through matters tremendously.”--Kendall Cox, 2006 winner

Since winning the Goodwin Prize in Christian Theology in 2001, John Kiess has traveled far. He received a George J. Mitchell Scholarship to study ethnic conflict at Queen's University in Belfast, a city scarred by Protestant-Catholic strife, where he received a masters degree. After the year in Ireland, John was chosen as a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar. With this generous support for graduate studies, John completed a second masters degree in theology at the University of Cambridge, England. We recently caught up with him in North Carolina:

“I am now at Duke University doing a Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics. I'm working with Stanley Hauerwas and some other good folks down here. I am living in Walltown, a low-income neighborhood near Duke's east campus and am active with some local social justice organizations. The Goodwin Prize meant a great deal to me. I think support and encouragement is important for anyone just starting to wade in the waters of theology, and it was tremendous to have the affirmation from Horizons. I think it was also an important factor in my selection as a Mitchell/Cooke scholar. It definitely made a difference there, and I'm very grateful to the endowers of the prize for that.”--John Kiess, November 2005

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