Duke English is honored to announce the winners of the 2019 Creative Writing Contests. English majors and non-major undergraduates are eligible to participate in creative writing contests in the areas of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry works.
The department offers two awards in the fiction category. The Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Creative Writing which has two prizes: one for fiction and one for poetry and the Reynolds Price Fiction Award in memory of the distinguished novelist, essayist, story-writer, poet and public intellectual, who was a graduate of Duke and taught in the English Department for over 50 years.
Anne Flexner Award for Fiction
Caroline Armstrong - “Friday”
The Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Creative Writing was established by the family and friends of Anne Flexner, who graduated from Duke in 1945.
Reynolds Price Award for Fiction
Thalia Halloran - “Chesire”
The Reynolds Price Fiction Award was established in memory of the distinguished novelist, essayist, story-writer, poet and public intellectual, Reynolds Price, who was a graduate of Duke and taught in the English Department for over 50 years.
George P. Lucaci Award for Creative Non-Fiction
1st Place - Annie Delmedico - “My Stranger”
2ndPlace - Thalia Halloran - “Excuse Me”
The Lucaci Award for Creative nonfiction is funded by the Lucaci Endowment. It was established to encourage creative nonfiction writing and to honor George P. Lucaci, a former Duke student, who has been an active supporter of undergraduate creative writing in the English Department for many years.
Academy of American Poets Prize
1stPlace - Valerie Muensterman - “Prophet Syndrome”
Honorable Mention - Carrie Wang– “Along the Curves of Cities”
Founded in 1934 in New York City, the Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization advocating for American poets and poetry. Its mission is to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.
Anne Flexner Award for Poetry
Aaron VanSteinberg - “Arrivals”
The Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Poetry was established by the family and friends of Anne Flexner, who graduated from Duke in 1945.
Terry Welby Tyler, Jr Award for Poetry
Nadia Kirmani - “Before It’s Forgotten”
This award was established by the family of Terry Welby Tyler, Jr., an English major that loved poetry. He would have graduated with the class of 1997 had he not passed away in 1996. This award recognizes and honors outstanding undergraduate poetry.
List of winners from the last few years and links to their winning works can be found by visiting the Archive of Writing Contest Winners.
