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Undergraduate Library Research Award

THE UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY RESEARCH AWARD (ULRA)

**FALL 2025 AWARD SUBMISSIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED**
The deadline for submissions is MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025.

About the Award: 

The Undergraduate Library Research Award celebrates excellence in academic research among Hofstra University’s undergraduate students. The Hofstra University Library offers this award to encourage students to develop their abilities to conduct thorough and thoughtful scholarly investigations on diverse topics. This award recognizes outstanding research projects that demonstrate exceptional skill in gathering, interpreting, and applying information resources. Beginning in Spring 2025, the ULRA will be open to all currently enrolled undergraduate students. The award will consider research completed in the Spring, Summer, or Fall terms (Summer submissions will be considered for the award during the Fall awards cycle.).

Students may be nominated through the ULRA process described below by the current award-cycle deadline.  All submissions must be accompanied by a faculty member's statement of support.  All nominations are evaluated based on the faculty statement of support as well as originality, depth of inquiry, effective use of library resources, and clarity of presentation.  Award recipients will have the opportunity to showcase their work online, inspiring their peers and highlighting the importance of research in academic and professional development.  This award underscores the library’s commitment to fostering a culture of intellectual curiosity and academic excellence, providing students with an invaluable opportunity to be recognized for their dedication and research achievements. 

In addition to the $500 prize, winning research will be published on the ULRA website during the academic semester following the granting of the award.

All research must be nominated by the faculty member with whom the research was produced.  Research under the tutelage of multiple faculty is welcomed.  Research with multiple authors and research written in foreign languages are welcomed.  Research is vetted carefully by a faculty selection committee. Submissions that demonstrate exceptional academic research practices and the extraordinary selection and use of research resources are rewarded.

Established in 1997 by the Hofstra University Library faculty and sponsored by the Library Dean's office, the Undergraduate Library Research Award (ULRA) was first awarded in 1998 to recognize excellence in academic research by a graduating senior. Past winners have come from the departments of Fine Arts, History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Global Studies & Geography, and Psychology.  The following are the winners of the award under the former guidelines since the year 1998.
 

Submission Links

The deadline for submissions is MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025.

All research must be nominated by the faculty member with whom the research was produced.  Research under the tutelage of multiple faculty is welcomed.  Research with multiple authors and research written in foreign languages are welcomed.  Research is vetted carefully by a faculty selection committee. Submissions that demonstrate exceptional academic research practices and the extraordinary selection and use of research resources are rewarded.

Please read all guidelines carefully. 

Things to note:

  • Faculty must submit a Turnitin.com originality report for each paper submitted at the time the online submission is made.
  • Faculty may sponsor more than one submission.
  • Students may submit more than one research project/paper, but only one research project/paper per course, and only one award to a student.
  • Students may submit research projects/papers authored solely as well as co-authored papers, but the papers must be from different courses, and only one award to a student.
  • Multiple authors need to submit individual submission forms, but only one copy of the research project/co-authored paper need be submitted.
  • Multiple faculty can sponsor a single project.  Each faculty sponsoring the single project must submit a faculty submission form and provide a statement of support for the project. 
  • Multiple authors will share the prize for a single submission.
  • Foreign language research projects/papers must be accompanied by a 1,000-word English language summary.

Please see the guidelines for complete instructions.

The deadline for submissions is MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025.

LINKS:  

Submission Guidelines for Students and Faculty

Student Submission Form (Must be printed out, signed, and given to sponsoring faculty.)

Faculty Submission Form (Requires logging into the my.hofstra.edu portal.)