Scholarships & Awards

Scholarships for Creative Writing Students

Awarded each spring semester by the Creative Writing Committee to undergraduate students for work done in one or more creative writing courses.  Nominations are made by English faculty.  Students must be eligible for financial aid to receive these scholarships.

  • William M. Blackburn Scholarship: Recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of creative writing.  Established in 1962 by students and friends of Professor William Blackburn (1899-1969) who first began teaching creative writing at Duke.
  • Francis Pemberton Scholarship: Awarded to a junior or senior pursuing the study of creative writing.  This scholarship 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.
  • Margaret Rose Knight Sanford Scholarship: Awarded to a female student who demonstrates particular promise in creative writing.  This scholarship was established in recognition of the untiring efforts of Margaret Rose Knight Sanford on behalf of Duke University.

Awards for English Students

Awarded each spring semester by the English Department to undergraduate students for work done in one or more courses.  Nominations are made by English faculty.  For more information, contact Michelle Dove.

  • Stanley E. Fish Award for Outstanding Work in British & Anglophone Literature: This award recognizes outstanding work by an undergraduate enrolled in an English course in British Literature.
  • Barbara Herrnstein Smith Award for Outstanding Work in Literary Theory or Criticism:  This award recognizes outstanding work by an undergraduate enrolled in an English course in literary theory or criticism.
  • Louis J. Budd Award for Outstanding Work in American Literature: This award recognizes outstanding work by an undergraduate enrolled in an English course in American Literature.
  • Victor Strandberg Literary Award:  This award, made possible by the Seinfeld family, recognizes an undergraduate for excellence in the literary arts.
  • Award for Most Original Honors Thesis: This award recognizes a senior student for writing the most original honors thesis.

Non-Departmental Awards

Applications with Spring Deadlines
Library Research Awards
Department of Theater Studies
  • Reynolds Price Award for Scriptwriting
    March 18 annual deadline. Presented annually to a Duke undergraduate for the best original script for stage, screen, or television. Submit a finished full-length script.
Undergraduate Research Support Office
  • Benenson Awards in the Arts
    ​Applications open January 10, 2018. Provide funding for fees, travel and other educational expenses for arts-centered projects proposed by undergraduates.
Faculty-nominated Awards
  • Faculty Scholars
    Highest award given by faculty to undergraduates in any major (approximately three to five awarded each year). Student record shows impressively high overall grade point average, evidence of independent work, potential for innovative scholarship, and intention to pursue a scholarly career. Faculty nominate annually in early March.
  • Bascom Headen Palmer Literary Prize
    Awarded annually by the Program in Literature to recognize the best senior honors thesis in literary study each spring. Faculty nominate annually in early April. 
  • The Dale B.J. Randall Award in Dramatic Literature
    Recognizes outstanding achievement in the study of dramatic literature and is presented annually by the Department of Theater Studies to the undergraduate student writing the best essay in a course in dramatic literature. Faculty nominate annually in March.
Fellowships

Dean's Summer Research Fellowships in support of undergraduate research and inquiry in the arts and sciences. Applications open January 10, 2018. 

  • Global Education Summer Fellowship
  • Schiff Summer Research Fellowship in the Humanities
  • Humanities Writ Large Research Fellowship
Non-Duke Awards for Undergraduates