CABE Essay Competition

Submission Requirements

To be considered, applicants must submit:

1. A cover letter (maximum 500 words)
2. A copy of the job posting for the position being addressed (the position must be real)
3. An AI disclosure statement that notes whether AI tools were used in any stage of planning, drafting, editing, or revising the submission.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Cover Letter Prompt

An effective cover letter should demonstrate how the applicant’s academic experiences translate into work skills and professional readiness. Psychology graduates develop a broad range of transferable skills grounded in scientific thinking, communication, ethical reasoning, and an understanding of human behavior.

Using The Skillful Psychology Student (PDF, 55KB)opens in new window and the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major 3.0 (PDF, 1.0KB)opens in new window as a foundation, students are invited to write a cover letter for a job that demonstrates how their psychology education has prepared them to succeed in that position.

Your cover letter should be written as though you are actually applying for the selected job.

Your cover letter must:

• Identify the specific job and organization to which you are applying.

• Indicate your degree and program (e.g., Associates of Art in Psychology).

• Describe the psychological skills and knowledge you have developed through your undergraduate education.

• Discuss and explicitly connect your experiences to at least two competencies from the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major 3.0(PDF, 1.0KB)opens in new window and/or two skill areas from The Skillful Psychology Student(PDF, 55KB)opens in new window.

• Provide specific evidence from coursework, research, internships, leadership roles, service experiences, employment, or other relevant activities explaining how you have developed and applied these skills and knowledge.

• Describe how your psychology background prepares you to contribute effectively in the position.

Strong submissions will:

• Go beyond simply listing skills.

• Provide concrete examples that demonstrate growth, learning, and application.

• Explain the impact of experiences and what was learned from them.

• Clearly connect psychology training to workplace success.

• Present a persuasive and professional case for employment.

Awards

• Up to two prizes of $250 each will be awarded.

Applicants must be:

• Current undergraduate psychology majors, or

• Students graduating with a psychology degree in 2026

Before submitting, applicants are encouraged to:

• Review the judging criteria.

• Review the AI-use guidelines (see below) if they plan to use AI tools during any stage of the writing process.

Submit all required materials through the application form by October 26, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed by CABE members, and award decisions will be announced by the end of November 2026.

Apply Onlineopens in new window

Select the “CABE Essay Competition” tab on the submission portal to submit entries. Please note that if a student is not an APA student affiliate, they will need to create a free account to submit entries. Instructions are available through the site linked above. Student affiliates of APA will need to log onto the site using their APA credentials.

Instructions on crediting AI

Students must disclose if they used AI in the drafting of their essay and provide a disclosure statement indicating the following:

• The AI tool that was used (e.g., ChatGPT)

• How it was used (including the specific prompt)

• Any information in the essay that should be attributed to the AI tool

• The APA Style blogopens in new window provides an example of how to cite AI.

• Keep in mind that APA Style recommends that you generally paraphrase sources (including AI) rather than directly quoting them because paraphrasing allows you to fit the information into the flow of your writing. Direct quotes are most appropriate for specific definitions or memorable statements. If you do choose to quote an AI tool verbatim, make sure to identify the statement as a quote (for more on using direct quotations in APA Style writing, see APA Styleopens in new window).

AI Disclosure for the development of the essay prompt

In June 2026, we used and reviewed outputs from ChatGPT, a large language model, to help refine our essay prompt. All AI-generated suggestions were critically evaluated and validated by the human authors to ensure accuracy, integrity, and alignment with our goals. Potential biases in the AI content were carefully considered and addressed. The final version of the prompt is the sole responsibility of the human authors. 

Judging Criteria 

Essays will be reviewed by a panel of psychology faculty members who serve on CABE.

Submissions will be evaluated on:

• Completeness of submission (i.e., cover letter, job posting, and AI disclosure if applicable)

• Relevance to the prompt (e.g., use of specific examples and supporting evidence from resources, integration of psychology knowledge, skills, and competencies)

• Effective integration of psychology knowledge, skills, and competencies (i.e., explicitly connects experiences to APA Guidelines 3.0 competencies and Skillful Psychology Student)

• Use of specific examples and supporting evidence

• Depth of reflection and insight

• Quality of writing (e.g., professionalism, persuasiveness, clarity, organization)

2025 award winners

• Phúc Nguyễn, Ho Chi Minh City Open University
  Core Values That Guide Psychological Science and Practice
• Ethan Mok-Chih, University of Illinois
  Core Values That Guide Psychological Science and Practice

2024 award winners

• Chandan Das, Sikkim University
  How to Think Critically about Using AI-generated Content that could include Misrepresented or False Information
• Shivani Shrotri, Cornell University
  Smart Tools, Smart Choices: Navigating AI in Psychology

2023 award winners

• Nicole Drapluk, Delaware State University
  Carolina in My Mind: Utilizing Skills Learned as an HBCU Graduate
• Mikayla Blankenship, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  Thriving in Careers with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology

2022 award winners

• Sabrina Chan, University of Toronto
  Thriving in Careers with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology
• Monique Santoso, Middlebury College
  Thriving in Careers with an Associate or Bachelor’s Degree

Honorable mentions

• Nakyah Bourgeois, California State University, Los Angeles
  CABE Essay Submission
• Allston Lewis, Texas Christian University
  Why Psychology?
• Folakemi Sampson, Washington and Jefferson College
  Applying Psychology to Success Coaching

2021 award winners

• Victoria R. Everett, Augusta University
  Applying Skills Learned in Psychology Courses to the Pursuit of a Career
• Nehme G. Melhem, University of Massachusetts
  CABE Essay Submission

Honorable mentions

• Alivia Carlin, University of Massachusetts—Boston
  Careers in Psychology with an Associate or Baccalaureate Degree
• Madison Estep, West Liberty University
  CABE Essay Submission
• Micha Gonzalez, West Liberty University
  Careers in Psychology
• Lexi Kinard, Kennesaw State University
  Fulfillment in a Psychology Degree
• Maggie Lee, Texas A&M—Texarkana
  Careers in Psychology