2008 Writing Contests
Each year the department of English awards prizes for the best student writing, for both prose and poetry of creative writing, for critical essays engaged in the analysis and treatment of literature, and, for the Kulver Prize, general excellence in academic writing. Prizes are available to students at all levels, undergraduate and graduate, freshmen through senior, and are drawn from the generous gifts of many donors. Submissions for the 2008 award season are now being accepted via our online system, and all eligible students are encouraged to submit their poetry, their stories, their dramas, and their essays. To qualify, students apply for prizes open to their year (freshmen, sophomore, etc.), and they must submit an application and their work no later than March 31st at 5 pm (this deadlines applies to ALL contests). Students cannot enter the same work for multiple prizes, but they can enter as many contests as they are eligible for if, for each, they submit different work. Students are strongly encouraged to submit via the web using the submission form at the bottom of this page following the contest descriptions. Anyone experiencing trouble with the electronic form should email english@artsci.wustl.edu for assistance (write 'Department Contest' in the subject line).
The Academy of American Poets Prize.This award is established at a college or university for a five-year term, at the end of which it may be renewed for another five years. Washington University students have benefited from this award since 1967. The Academy pledges $100 for a poem or poems chosen from annual submissions by graduate students.
The Andrea Goff Memorial Prize for Poetry.This award was established in 1996 to honor the memory of Andrea Goff. The competition, open only to seniors, awards $200.
The Carrie S. Galt Fiction PrizeThis award is sponsored by the Wednesday Club of St. Louis. It was established in memory of Carrie S. Galt by two of her grandchildren. Ms Galt was a writer and a graduate of Washington University. The award is $200. The contest is open only to graduate students.
Established with a gift from the estate of Loretta Z. and Ervin A. Cornelison. Two prizes are awarded for outstanding graduate student essays in literature: the first place award is $2500; second place is $1500.
The Dramatics Club of St. Louis Prize.In 1929 this prize was established to encourage creative work in the study of dramatic literature. The competition is open to graduate and undergraduate students, and awards two $1000 prizes. Submissions can include essays that analyze dramatic work, as well as creative work in dramatics.
The F. Ward Denys Prize.In 1921 the University established this prize to be awarded by the Department of English annually "to that student in the sophomore class who shows the greatest degree of general excellence in the required work in English." It carries a cash award of $250.
The Harriet Schwenk Kluver Prize for Excellence in Writing.As encouragement to excellence in writing, Mrs. Kluver, a Washington University alumna, established a prize to be awarded annually to the best freshmen writing done in any of his or her classes, not simply in Writing 1. This year two $1000 prizes will be awarded for the best academic or personal essay.
The James Merrill Prize for Poetry.This award was established in 1995 by the English Department to honor the memory of the poet James Merrill, whose accolades include two National Book Awards, the Bollingen Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize, and who was a good friend to the English Department and to Washington University, which holds a large collection of his papers. The competition, open to undergraduates, carries a $250 award.
The Julia Viola McNeely Memorial Prize for Poetry.The prize was established by Ms McNeely's family to encourage poetry writing by undergraduates. Ms McNeely was a Howard Nemerov writing scholar at Washington University. This contest is open to undergraduates and awards $300.
The Leanna Boysko Essay Prize.This award offers separate prizes for both juniors and seniors. It was established in 1990 by Professor Emerita Bernetta Jackson in memory of former graduate student and English Department secretary Leanna Boysko, and will be given annually for the best essay written for an English composition or an English literature class. There are two awards of $100, one each at the junior and senior levels.
The Norma Lowry Memorial Fund Prize.This award was established by Mrs. Lowry's friends in 1963 to encourage student writing at Washington University. Mrs. Lowry was a poet and took a sustained and lively interest in the craft of poetry as practiced on the campus. The competition awards $300.
The Roger Conant Hatch Prize.Mr. Hatch received his master's degree from Washington University in 1902. Under the terms of his will, money was designated for a University fund, the interest being used for an annual prize of $800 to be awarded to the best undergraduate writer of lyric poetry.