Drs. Theresa & Charles Yeo Writing Prize
Yeo Writing Prize 2026-2027
This year's topic: Unfinished Business
Have you ever wanted a do-over or felt the itch of the undone? For this year’s prize, we ask you to explore the topic of Unfinished Business. In life, we don’t always have the words or ideas to get what we need in the moment, and then the moment is gone—perhaps forever. Here you have a chance to write about that, whether as a letter, poem, essay, story, or even word play. We offer some prompts to get you thinking about unfinished business:
Reconciliation. Reconciliation may include finishing a letter, saying thank you, acknowledging something, or even seeking justice. Is there something you need to reconcile, either outwardly or inwardly?
Yearning. Yearning is a powerful human emotion that reminds us of the space that exists between what we have and what we want. It can propel us forward toward a desired result, or it can draw us backward toward an event where a desire was unfulfilled. Address a specific instance of personal yearning, what it led to, and what you learned.
Free will vs. Determinism. Can you let go of the choices you weren’t happy with? The doors not taken? What about the ambiguity of not knowing how the story ends? What do we have control over, and is there some relief in ambiguity? Consider how waiting versus doing or even letting go may be part of unfinished business.
Hidden Knowledge. In ancient times, oracles were routinely consulted by kings and commoners alike about questions they wanted answered or future events. And many cultures have ways of making the telling of fortunes into mysterious and fun games or activities. Think of the reading of tea leaves, palms, or tarot cards, the casting of runes or dice, asking a question and rolling the magic 8 ball (Try again later!), or cracking open a fortune cookie purely for the pleasure of reading the fortune inside.
Tell a story or write a poem about the appeal of hidden or secret knowledge, or devise a list of fortunes or a series of predictions that tell a little bit of truth with good humor.