2026-2027 Drs. Theresa and Charles Yeo Writing Prize Topic: “Unfinished Business”
Have you ever wanted a do-over or felt the itch of the undone? For this year’s prize, we ask you to explore the topic of Unfinished Business. In life, we don’t always have the words or ideas to get what we need in the moment, and then the moment is gone—perhaps forever. Here you have a chance to write about that, whether as a letter, poem, essay, story, or even word play. We offer some prompts to get you thinking about unfinished business:
Reconciliation
Reconciliation may include finishing a letter, saying thank you, acknowledging something, or even seeking justice. Is there something you need to reconcile, either outwardly or inwardly?
Yearning
Yearning is a powerful human emotion that reminds us of the space that exists between what we have and what we want. It can propel us forward toward a desired result, or it can draw us backward toward an event where a desire was unfulfilled. Address a specific instance of personal yearning, what it led to, and what you learned.
Free will vs. Determinism
Can you let go of the choices you weren’t happy with? The doors not taken? What about the ambiguity of not knowing how the story ends? What do we have control over, and is there some relief in ambiguity? Consider how waiting versus doing or even letting go may be part of unfinished business.
Hidden Knowledge
In ancient times, oracles were routinely consulted by kings and commoners alike about questions they wanted answered or future events. And many cultures have ways of making the telling of fortunes into mysterious and fun games or activities. Think of the reading of tea leaves, palms, or tarot cards, the casting of runes or dice, asking a question and rolling the magic 8 ball (Try again later!), or cracking open a fortune cookie purely for the pleasure of reading the fortune inside.
Tell a story or write a poem about the appeal of hidden or secret knowledge, or devise a list of fortunes or a series of predictions that tell a little bit of truth with good humor.
Submission Information
We invite you to submit stories, poems, or essays for consideration. Everyone has a unique voice, and we want to hear from as many of you as possible. Cash prizes will be awarded as follows: $2000 for first place, $1000 for second place, and $500 for third place.
All submissions to the Yeo Writing Prize also will be considered for publication in the next issue of Evanescent: A Journal of Literary Medicine. We also encourage original works of art (photography, drawings, paintings, digital art) for the next issue of Evanescent (though only works of writing will be considered eligible for the Yeo Prize).
The deadline for submission is Thursday December 31, 2026 at 11:59pm. Submissions for the contest should not exceed 2,500 words or 6-8 pages of poetry. Word docs encouraged (NO PDFs). Please do not include your name, department, or any other identifying information in the submitted writing. Enter this information as prompted in the submission form only. All submissions of prose or poetry must have a title at the time of submission. To be considered for the Prize, you must have an affiliation with the Jefferson community (patient, caregiver, community partner, student, volunteer, staff). Limit one entry per person. The spirit of the Prize is to encourage and stimulate new writing in response to the prompts. With that in mind, unfortunately we cannot accept submissions of previously published essays.
Read previous issues of Evanescent here:
https://www.jefferson.edu/academics/colleges-schools-institutes/skmc/departments/surgery/eakins-project/evanescent.html