Awards, Scholarships, & Support Grants
Departmental Awards and Scholarships:
*All submissions are due by Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - 305 Allen Building. Please submit one cover sheet (available under the "forms" link) as well as four copies of your entries for each contest. Please make sure to follow the instructions for each contest. *
Regarding Creative Writing Contests: The same work by the same author may not win multiple contests. However, different works by the same author are eligible to win multiple awards.
The Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Creative Writing: This award was established by the family and friends of Anne Flexner, who graduated from Duke in 1945. Open to all Duke undergraduates, the competition for prose fiction (5,000-word limit) and poetry (200-line limit) is sponsored in the spring semester by the Department of English. Entries are judged by the Department's Creative Writing Committee.
Guidelines:
Contestants must choose a single genre (fiction or poetry) and submit four copies of one manuscript or poem only. Fiction manuscripts should be double-spaced. There must be no indication of the author's name on the manuscript itself. Submissions may not be turned in "Untitled." Submissions will not be returned.
The Academy of American Poets Prize: This prize is funded by the Academy of American Poets and awarded by the English department for a poem or group of poems by an undergraduate.
Guidelines:
Contestants should submit four copies of a poem or a group of poems. Poems may be typed single- or double- spaced. There must be no indication of the author's name on the manuscript itself. Submissions may not be turned in "Untitled." Submissions will not be returned.
The Terry Welby Tyer, Jr. Award for Creative Writing:
This award was established family of Terry Welby Tyler, Jr., who would have graduated with
the class of 1997, to recognize and honor outstanding undergraduate
poetry. Open to all Duke undergraduates, the competition is sponsored
by the Department of English. Entries are judged by the Department's
Creative Writing Committee.
Guidelines:
Contestants must submit four copies of a poem or group of poems. Total lines should not exceed 200. There must be no indication of the author's name on the manuscript itself. Submissions may not be turned in "Untitled." Submissions will not be returned.
Nonfiction Competition:
The Department of English sponsors an annual competition for the best nonfiction essays
written by undergraduates in English courses. The competition is open
for essays, (5,000 words maximum) written by Duke undergraduates enrolled
in an English Department course, 20 level or higher. Submissions must
be nonfiction essays produced for the class in which the student is
enrolled.
Guidelines:
The competition is open for essays written by any Duke undergraduate enrolled in any English department course, 20 level or higher, during the Fall 2007 semester or the Spring 2008 semester. Students may submit more than one essay to the competition, but the same author may not win multiple places within this contest.Submissions must be nonfiction essays produced for the class in which the student is (was) enrolled.
On a separate sheet the author must include his or her name, the essay title, the course number and instructor for whom it was written, and the semester and year of the course. There must be no indication of the author's name or the course on the essay itself. Submit four copies of the essay. Essays will not be returned.
There is no minimum length. Maximum length is 5,000 words (about 20 pages). Essays should conform to the Modern Language Association documentation style.
Submissions to all contests are due on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - 305 Allen building. Submissions which do not conform to these guidelines will not be accepted.
The William M. Blackburn Scholarship: Professor Blackburn
(1899-1969) founded the Duke program in creative writing. His students
and friends established the Blackburn Scholarship Fund in 1962.
The scholarship, awarded by the Department of English, recognizes
outstanding achievement in the field of creative writing.
The Francis Pemberton Scholarship:This award was created by the Trustees of The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation in memory and in honor of Francis Pemberton's service to The Biddle Foundation. The scholarship is awarded by the Department of English to a junior or senior pursuing the study of creative writing.
The Margaret Rose Knight Sanford Scholarship:Awarded to a female student who demonstrates particular promise in creative writing. The winner is selected in the spring semester by the Department's Committee on Creative Writing from those students nominated by the faculty. The fund was established in recognition of the untiring efforts of Margaret Rose Knight Sanford on behalf of Duke University.
Schutte Senior Writing Award
This cash award, named in honor of Margot Hill's (Duke 04) high school English
teacher, is intended to recognize the whole of a student's creative achievements
during his or her time at Duke. It is to be given to a graduating senior of
superior writing ability and who contributes greatly to the wider writing community
on campus. Nomination of candidates will be made exclusively by members of
the full time English Department writing faculty, and selection will be made
by the Creative Writing Committee. Should no candidate meet the standards of
the award in a given year, no award will be made.
Margot Hill Support Grants
The Hill Support Grants set aside funds to assist undergraduate students in taking advantage of opportunities that might arise during the academic year, such as attending workshops, conferences, retreats, etc. Students may apply for these grants by providing Carol Renegar with a statement of how the grant is to be used. More than one student may apply for the same event. This will be available on a rolling basis.
Best Honors Thesis Award: Given by the department to a student in the Distinction Program: This award is given by the Department of English for the most original honors thesis. (Students who receive the University's award for Best Honors Thesis are not eligible for this award).
Barbara Herrnstein Smith Award for Outstanding Work in Literary Theory or Criticism: This award, given by the Department of English, recognizes outstanding work by an undergraduate enrolled in an English course in Literary Theory or Criticism.
Stanley E. Fish Award for Outstanding Work in British Literature: This award, given by the Department of English, recognizes outstanding work by an undergraduate enrolled in an English course in British Literature.
Award for Outstanding Work in American Literature:This award,
given by the Department of English, recognizes outstanding work
by an undergraduate enrolled in an English course in American Literature.
Non-Departmental Awards and Scholarships
The Rudolph William Rosati Fund: Established in 1978 by Mr. W.M. Upchurch, Jr., this fund honors the memory of his friend, the late Mr. Rosati, a talented writer. Awards are given to encourage, advance, and reward creative writing among undergraduate students. A committee named by the provost oversees the program and distribution of the fund.
The Reynolds Price Award for Scriptwriting was created in 1991. This award is presented annually by the Department of Theater Studies to a Duke undergraduate for the best original script for stage, screen, or television
The Edward H. Benenson Awards in the Arts: These awards of $300 to $3,000 each are granted annually through the generosity of Duke alumnus and trustee Edward H. Benenson. Funds are awarded for fees, equipment, supplies, travel, production, and other educational expenses for projects in art, music, drama, dance, creative writing and film/video proposed by undergraduates and graduating seniors of Trinity College and the School of Engineering. Application forms and instructions are made available in February from the Undergraduate Research Support Office , located in 011 Allen Building. For more information email : ursoffice@duke.edu.
Dannenberg Awards: Through the generosity of the Richard B. Dannenberg Endowment, funds are available through the Academic Advising Center to support the participation of undeclared students in ongoing extracurricular research or other academic projects in collaboration with a faculty member who serves as the project advisor and mentor. The goal of Dannenberg Awards Program is to foster such extracurricular collaboration that enables premajor students to work closely with a member of the Duke community and familiarize themselves with the academic life of faculty. On joint application by the student and the mentor, $350 may be allocated to support expenses related to the student’s participation. To be eligible for a Dannenberg Awards:
1. You must be a premajor student. After you have declared a major, you may no longer apply for Dannenberg Awards support.
2. Your project cannot be associated with a course for which you will receive academic credit.
3. You must submit a proposal – generally about a page in length – in which you describe the project’s goals, how the funding will be used, and the nature and extent of the collaboration you will have with your mentor. Both you and your mentor must sign the proposal.
In the past, students have assisted their mentors in data collection or organization as part of the mentor’s academic research. They have also used the money to attend conferences, participate in field trips, or take part in other significant educational experiences. Please note that funding may not be used as student salary. Students or faculty members interested in further information about a Dannenberg Award should contact Dean Michele Rasmussen (micheler@aas.duke.edu) or call the Academic Advising Center (684-6217).
The Louis Sadler Prize in the Arts: Presented annually by the Provost's Council on the Arts to a graduating senior who has demonstrated the most outstanding achievement in artistic performance or creation.