Annual Writing Competition
The English Department holds a competition each year for prizes in writing. The prizes are cash awards ranging from $50 to $500. We encourage students from every department and school within Northwestern to compete according to the guidelines below.
Any original work is eligible, whether or not it has been written for a class. All comments by teachers on the course papers, however, should be removed, or the manuscript retyped. A legible photocopy is acceptable; handwritten work is not acceptable. Please follow these rules:
- Students may not enter competitions for which they are not eligible.
- Students may submit only one work per genre.
- The maximum length for essay and fiction is 20 pages; the maximum length for a
poetry manuscript is 10 pages or 3 poems. Students should submit only one copy of each work.
A cover sheet should be filled out and attached to each piece of work turned in. The author's name must not appear on the work itself. Work will be judged anonymously and identified afterward through the cover sheets.
Manuscripts must be turned in to University Hall 215 by 3:00 p.m. on the due date. MANUSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Creative Writing Awards Eligibility
The EDWIN L. SHUMAN AWARD for CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY
ESSAY Any WCAS undergraduate
The EDWIN L. SHUMAN AWARD for FICTION
FICTION Any WCAS undergraduate
The DENTLER AWARD for BEST POEM is offered for one outstanding POEM
POETRY Any University Undergraduate
The FARICY AWARD for POETRY may be divided among two or more students
POETRY Any University Undergraduate
The ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PRIZE for FICTION
FICTION Any University graduate or undergraduate
The ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PRIZE for CREATIVE NONFICTION ESSAY
Any University graduate or undergraduate
THE HELEN G. SCOTT PRIZES for CREATIVE WRITING specific categories will vary
CREATIVE WRITING Any University undergraduate
Literature Awards Eligibility
The EDWIN L. SHUMAN AWARD for CRITICAL ESSAY
ESSAY Any WCAS undergraduate
The MAYO PRIZE is awarded for the best paper submitted each year in English 298
298 PAPER 298 students
The HARRIET GILLIAM MEMORIAL PRIZE for the best essay dealing with the psychological or psychoanalytic interpretation of a literary text.
ESSAY Any University undergraduate
The DENTLER AWARD for BEST ESSAY on poetry or poets
ESSAY Any University undergraduate
The HELEN G. SCOTT PRIZE for BEST CRITICAL ESSAY on LITERATURE, pre-1798
ESSAY Any University undergraduate
The HELEN G. SCOTT PRIZE for BEST CRITICAL ESSAY on AMERICAN LITERATURE
ESSAY Any University undergraduate
The HELEN G. SCOTT PRIZE for BEST CRITICAL ESSAY on LITERARY CRITICISM and THEORY
ESSAYAny University undergraduate
The HELEN G. SCOTT PRIZE for BEST CRITICAL ESSAY on GLOBAL ENGLISH
ESSAY Any University undergraduate
The HELEN G. SCOTT PRIZE for BEST CRITICAL ESSAY on BRITISH LITERATURE
ESSAY Any University undergraduate
The HELEN G. SCOTT PRIZE for BEST RESEARCH PAPER on LITERATURE
ESSAY Any University undergraduate
The ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PRIZE for CRITICAL NONFICTION
ESSAY Any University graduate or undergraduate
_____________________________
In addition to the prizes listed above, the Department will annually present the following awards to students who have demonstrated continued excellence in their work in the English Department. Students should not apply directly for these prizes.
Edwin L. Shuman Awards:
The Shuman Junior-year Award in Literature will be awarded to the best English Literature Major.
The Shuman Junior-year Award in Creative Writing will be awarded to the best junior English Major in Creative Writing.
The Shuman Senior Award in Creative Writing will be awarded to the best senior English Major in Creative Writing.
The Shuman Senior Award in Literature will be awarded to the best senior major in English or American Literature.