Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award

• First Place - $1,200

• Two (2) Runners-up - $800

Eligibility

• Full-time, undergraduate students at UNI from any major at the time of project completion are eligible to participate, including students who graduated in 2025.
• Projects completed for a UNI credit-bearing course OR a university sponsored project, and can take any format or medium. (e.g., print, video, painting, photograph, website, mobile application, 3D models, or construction)
• Projects completed: no earlier than the spring 2025 semester, must be original work, and not been previously published.
• Individual and group projects are eligible. Individual students must submit their applications, and the essay must reflect their own work or their contribution to collaborative group work.
• A complete application includes: a personal essay, a final version of the research paper or creative work (except for honors theses), and a letter of support from a faculty member or professional and scientific staff member. (Applications must include all parts for the project to be eligible for evaluation.)
• If a student submits more than one project for consideration for an award, each project must be complete and distinct, and each requires a separate letter of support. Each student is eligible to win only one award per award year.
• Eligible applicants from the past year are encouraged to apply again.
• Only applications received before the cut-off date (April 17, 2026) are eligible for the 2025-26 award cycle. After that date, applications received apply toward the following year's award cycle.

Submission Process and Guidelines

Applicants are required to complete and submit the following:

• An online application form, including a short abstract describing the project
• Upload the following through the application form:
  1. A personal essay of 800 to 1,200 words (not including citations). The essay should inform the committee about the research process, the research tools used, the project, the assignment or project requirements, and/or other criteria outlined in the rubric linked below.
  2. A final version of the research project/creative work, including a complete bibliography of resources. (In the case of honors theses, submission of a Complete Rough Draft as a final product is permitted.) The award winner will be encouraged to have their essay and project made publicly accessible through UNI ScholarWorks.
  3. A letter of support from the faculty member or professional and scientific staff you have listed in your application.

​Please note: All final projects and other application materials must be submitted electronically to be considered for review. 

View the complete evaluation rubric.