81% of Aralia Students Receive Awards in Top Language Competitions
1. What is Omnibus Magazine and Omnibus Magazine Prizes?
Omnibus Magazine is a worldwide magazine created by The Classical Association to promote classics. The magazine is published every March and September and is a helpful resource for students and teachers alike. Omnibus “offer[s] fresh insights into the greatest classical texts, explore[s] from new angles the enduring puzzles of ancient history, visit[s] the fundamental areas of philosophical enquiry in antiquity, and bring[s] you news and views from the world of classical archaeology and art.” Read previous issues from the Omnibus Magazine archive.
Every year, Omnibus Magazine hosts two competitions: the Gladstone Memorial Essay Prize competition and the Sam Hood Translation Prize competition. These contests are opportunities for high school students to improve their knowledge and creative critical thinking skills in the field of classics.
2. What is the Gladstone Memorial Essay Prize?
Omnibus Magazine’s Gladstone Memorial Essay Prize is a contest where students write an essay of 2,000 words maximum based on classical themes. Students must not only have extensive background knowledge on the topic, but also think critically about the essay question to develop and defend their unique opinion. Essay prompts change every year.
2024 Gladstone Memorial Essay topics:
- Were the ancient Olympic Games more significant to the ancient Greek world than the modern Olympic Games are to our world today?
- Why does the Trojan War provide such fertile ground for modern retellings? You may discuss more than one modern retelling of a Trojan War story.
- How important was Athenian drama for their democratic values in ancient Athens?
- How shocking do you think the poems of either Catullus or Ovid would have been to their ancient audiences?
- ‘Women had more influence in Roman society in the Republic than under the Principate.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement?
- Which one piece of artwork (ancient or modern art or sculpture) do you think best captures the telling of a classical myth which you have read? Justify your answer with reference to at least two other pieces of artwork depicting the same myth.
- ‘The public should be kept at a distance from our most treasured ancient sites.’ How do we both protect and celebrate our ancient cultural heritage?
- Was Constantine great?
Submission Guidelines:
Entries should be submitted as e-mail attachments, preferably in Microsoft Word format, to ro225@cam.ac.uk. The judges’ decision is final: no correspondence will be entered into. Please give your name, school, and e-mail address on your essay, and keep a copy for yourself.
Prizes:
Two winners will be selected. First place winner receives £200, and the second place winner receives £100.
Previous Winners:
Unlock Your Language Potential: Students in Our Language Competition Preparation Class Are More Likely to Secure Awards
3. What is the Sam Hood Translation Prize?
Omnibus Magazine’s Sam Hood Translation Prize is a contest where students wield their creativity to add a twist of personal flavor and create elegant and stylish translations of Greek and Latin prose and verse. Judges are not just looking for accuracy of translation, but especially for creativity in the way students play with words to convey hidden context and implied emotion. Students choose from a list of texts that change every year.
2024 Sam Hood Translation list of texts:
- Lucian, Zeus Rants 18
- Euripides, Trojan Woman 903-28
- Greek Anthology562 (Parrot Poem) & 9.564 (Bee Poem)
- Petronius, Satyrica (Cena Trimalchionis)3-7
- Ovid, Amores4.1-24
- Sallust, Bellum Catilinae1-8
Submission Guidelines:
Entries should be submitted electronically, as e-mail attachments, preferably in Microsoft Word format, to Dr Emma Greensmith: emma.greensmith@classics.ox.ac.uk.
Prize:
One winner will be selected to receive a cheque for £75 and a classical poetry book.
Previous Winners:
4. Who can enter in the Omnibus Magazine Prizes competitions?
All students across the world who are under 19-years-old and not yet in college are eligible to enter. Entries should contain a statement from a teacher, containing the teacher’s e-mail address, confirming that students are enrolled full-time in high/middle school and not in college. Each student can only submit one entry per contest.
Fee: Free entry
Deadline: July 7, 2024
5. Why participate in the Omnibus Magazine Prizes contests?
Why study classics?
Studying classics will help you learn Western history and the roots of Western culture. Most high schools have a mandatory history of Western civilization history class and assigned reading from ancient Greece and Rome in English class.
Analyzing and thinking critically about ancient cultures and language can help you understand the modern English language and many Western cultures and current international relations and politics.
Why study Latin in high school?
Western literature and science have their roots in Latin. Learning Latin will support your knowledge base in multiple fields such as medicine and law, improve your English vocabulary, and facilitate your study of other European languages. You’ll be surprised by all the benefits of learning Latin in high school.
Why participate in the Omnibus Magazine Prizes contests?
The Omnibus Prizes are an opportunity to exercise your skills and knowledge in ancient Greek and Latin outside of school. You can think more critically and form your own opinions—go beyond what you’ve learned in class. In Omnibus Prizes competitions, you can showcase your creativity without restricting boundaries or grading rubric for your work. You can practice creative writing in a unique way, which looks excellent for college admissions.
6. How do I prepare for the Omnibus Prizes?
Take a private, individualized, online class with an experienced competition coach from America’s top high schools. Aralia Education offers competition preparation classes for both Omnibus Prizes. In the Gladstone Memorial Essay Class, you will take ten one-on-one classes with a teacher to learn how to analyze, research, and develop arguments for your essay. In class, you’ll engage with diverse perspectives and interpretations of classical texts and artworks.
In the Sam Hood Translation Class, throughout five one-on-one classes, you will learn to add a personal, stylistic flair to your translations, all while balancing linguistic accuracy. Prepare for the Omnibus Prizes contests with Aralia Education!
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