The Boe Paper Award honors the late Dr. Dennis Boe, former Director of Honors at East Central University and a prominent figure at NCHC and GPHC meetings. For many, Dr. Boe exemplified the qualities of a dedicated honors leader, blending scholarship, creativity, and leadership. His untimely passing in 2005 inspired the creation of the Boe Award, which has recognized excellence in student research since 2008. Dr. Boe was not only a respected scholar but also a talented musician, poet, and administrator. He performed in numerous concerts, was named Teacher of the Year at Eastern Oklahoma State and was a regional leader in the arts in Oklahoma.
- A maximum of three Boe Award may be awarded for each of two categories
- Lower-division students who have fewer than 60 hours of college/university credit (at the deadline of submissions), and
- Upper-division students who have earned 60 hours or more of college/university credit
- Social Science
- Directors should note that "academic credit" includes dual enrollment courses taken during high school and hours received by transfer from another institution
- Submissions for the Boe Award must be submitted by each institution's honors director indicating the director's advocacy of the excellence of the work
- Must represent the work of a single honors student that was performed in the previous and/or present academic year
- Each institution may submit a maximum of two (2) Boe Award nominees
- Must come from dues-paying institutions
- Must be submitted using the GPHC Boe Award Submission Form
- Due: Monday, January 18, 2027 - (Notifications: March 1, 2027)
- Extensions cannot be granted nor can changes be made to submissions by the host institution or any other individual once received.
- Conference registration must be completed by the Early Bird deadline of February 12, 2027, in order for a submission to be considered.
- Submissions that are not selected as Boe Award recipients will be automatically accepted into the conference program for presentation.
Essays submitted in consideration for the Boe Award must:
- Be fewer than 7,000 words (references must be used but are not included in the word count restriction).
- Use the citation system of the academic field they represent and be formatted in a readable fashion.
- The essay itself should only have a title. It should not indicate the identity of either the writer or the university, otherwise the essay will be disqualified.
- Be submitted in PDF or Word.
- Essays will be assigned to professors in the category that best matches their expertise.
- Judges reserve the right to not award prizes if essays do not meet criteria standards.
- Judges may elect not to award the maximum number of awards.
- Elimination can be made at the discretion of the President-Elect of GPHC, due to non-conformance to the instructions. The President-Elect will notify the submitting honors director, the Executive Secretary, Treasurer, and the GPHC President.
- Students are to register for, attend, and present their essays at the annual conference as directed to receive the award.
- Submissions that do not comply with the guidelines listed here will be eliminated from the competition.
- Institution
- Honors Director's Name
- Honors Director's Email
- Student Name
- Student Email
- Title of Essay
- Upload Essay File
- Presentation Category (select one or multiple selections below)
- STEM
- Social Science
- Social Science
- Professional Studies
- Credit Hours Category: How many credits will you have completed by January 1, 2027? (select one below)
- 0-59 Credit Hours
- 60+ Credit Hours
To submit an entry for the Boe Award please follow the link below.
