The Challenge:
Address the strategic, operational, and tactical demands for 21st-Century Navy mine warfare, mine countermeasures, explosive ordnance disposal, mining technologies, systems, and platforms. Examine the promise of autonomous and unmanned vehicles. Consider the difficulties of delivering capable and affordable solutions to the fleet.
Submission Guidelines
- Open to all contributors -- active-duty, military, reservists, veterans, and civilians.
- Essays must be no more than 2,500 words, excluding end notes and sources. Include word count on title page of the essay.
- Essays are judged in the blind. Do not include author name(s) on title page or within the essay.
- Submit essay as a Word document at www.usni.org/nmwesessay no later than 31 March 2021.
- Essay must be original and not previously published (online or in print) or being considered for publication elsewhere.
First Prize: $1,500
Second Prize: $750
Third Prize: $500
Selection Process
A joint panel composed of experts from the Mine Warfare Association and the Proceedings editorial staff shall judge essays and choose winners. All essays will be judged in the blind — i.e., the Proceedings staff members and Mine Warfare Association judges will not know the authors of the essays. Since we receive so many submissions (more than 100 per month!), notification of acceptance on one of our platforms can take 4-6 months. We will notify you via email if your essay is selected for a prize or for publication.
Announcement of the Winners
Winners will be announced in the July 2021 Proceedings.
Selected Submissions
