Due in 13 days
U.S. Naval Intelligence Essay Contest
Direct application
$5,000
3 winners
Eligibility
Education level
Undergraduate
About this scholarship
Active-duty military members, reservists, veterans, and civilians may submit an original, unpublished essay proposing how naval intelligence should adapt to inform and shape the Navy and nation.
Three prizes are awarded: $5,000 for first place, $2,500 for second, and $1,500 for third. Winners are recognized at the Naval Intelligence Professionals annual meeting and may be published in Proceedings magazine.
Essays must be no more than 2,500 words (excluding endnotes), submitted without author names, as a Word document through the U.S. Naval Institute website. Entries are judged blind.
Essay question
What else to submit
- One original unpublished essay submitted as a Word document through the U.S. Naval Institute website
- Single essay submission (not multiple separate prompts).
- Maximum length: no more than 2,500 words, excluding end notes and sources.
- Submit as a Word document at www.usni.org/navalintelligence.
- Essay must be anonymized: include word count on the title page but do NOT include author name(s) on the title page or within the essay (judged blind).
- Essay must be original and not previously published (online or in print), and not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- Submission deadline: 31 July 2026.
- Open to any author (officer, enlisted, military or civilian, foreign or domestic).
- Essay must address the year's naval intelligence theme.
- Maximum 2,500 words excluding endnotes and sources.
- Submit anonymously: include word count on title page but no author name in the title page or essay.
- Essay must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.