Awards

Each year, the Department of English recognizes the work of promising and talented students with prestigious awards funded through endowments made by generous donors. Below you’ll find detailed information, including submission guidelines and eligibility, for each of the awards. 

Application deadline March 1, 2024. 

Short overview 

  • The Carl R. Greer/Andrew D. Hepburn Awards in English
    Four awards: Past awards ranged from $700 to $5000.
  • The Edward J. Montaine Awards in English
    Three awards: Past awards ranged from $1000 to $3000.
  • The Almy Awards in Critical Studies
    Two awards, about $400 to $600 each.
  • The Daniel and Margaret Bookwalter Awards in Creative Writing
    Two awards, about $150 each.
  • The Linguistics Award
    One award of $100.
  • The Mary Jo Priest Memorial Awards in Professional Writing
    Three awards, about $350 each.

Apply

Awards in Detail

The Carl R. Greer/Andrew D Hepburn Awards and the Edward J. Montaine Awards

Eligibility

  • All applicants must currently be enrolled in Miami University programs in English and/or Journalism; an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.
  • Continuing students only: All applicants must be enrolled at Miami University during the 2024/25 academic year to receive the financial award.
  • For Greer-Hepburn: senior standing (93+ credit hours earned) by the beginning of the fall 2024/25 semester. 
  • For Montaine: junior standing (62+ credit hours earned) by the beginning of the fall 2024/25 semester. 

Category “Journalism”

  • Submit a portfolio of five to ten published articles of journalistic writing and a cover essay of 250 words describing your growth as a journalistic writer. The writing may be any combination of the following: news stories, news features, editorials, reviews, feature articles, sports stories, columns. The writing must have been published in one of the following while the student was an undergraduate: student newspaper, professional newspaper, web magazine, student newspaper web page, professional newspaper web page, student magazine, professional magazine.

Category “Poetry”

  • Submit a collection of poems—not more than five poems. Use single-spacing.

Category “Creative Writing” (fiction or creative non-fiction)

  • Submit one story, an excerpt from a novel, or essay—not more than twenty pages long, double-spaced.

Other information 

  • Submit only one entry, in either poetry or prose.
  • No winning manuscript from previous years may be submitted.
  • The contest will be judged by a writer not affiliated with Miami University.
  • The Department of English cannot be held accountable for loss of manuscripts.

The Almy Awards in Critical Studies

Eligibility

  • Students majoring or minoring in English Literature, or other students currently enrolled in one of the English department’s literature courses may apply.
  • Continuing students only: All applicants must be enrolled at Miami University during the 2024/25 academic year to receive the financial award.
  • An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

What you must submit:

an essay with a maximum length of 20 pages that is informed by contemporary literary or cultural theory and that was completed in one of the English department’s literature courses.

The Daniel and Margaret Bookwalter Awards in Creative Writing

Eligibility

  • This award is for students with sophomore status at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
  • Applicants must major or minor in the department of English or take one of the department’s creative writing courses for credit during the current academic year.
  • Continuing students only: All applicants must be enrolled at Miami University during the 2024/25 academic year to receive the financial award

What you must submit:

either not more than five poems or one story or excerpt from a novel, not more than twenty pages long.

The Linguistics Award

Eligibility

  • All Linguistics majors and minors, or Miami students currently or formerly enrolled in one of the Linguistics courses can apply.

What you must submit:

an essay, final paper, or other project completed for a linguistics course at Miami University (between 5-15 pages in length).

The Mary Jo Priest Memorial Awards in Professional Writing

This award memorializes Mary Jo Priest who graduated from Miami with a Masters in Technical Communication. The award is given in three categories:

  1. Rhetorical Analysis
  2. Proposal or Report
  3. Public Argument

Eligibility and Requirements

  • Applicants must be enrolled as majors in Professional Writing or minors in Rhetoric/ Writing.
  • Continuing students only: All applicants must be enrolled at Miami University during the 2024/25 academic year to receive the financial award.
  • Only one submission per MJP award category is permitted, but applicants may submit in more than one category. 

What you must submit:

your paper or project file (use USB drive for larger files), or a link to a website (depending on the medium)

Students should indicate the award category on the application form and include with each entry the following:

  • a short description of the audience, purpose, and context for which each communication was designed
  • any relevant background information that will help the judges understand the communication and evaluate its effectiveness

Professional Writing faculty will judge your submissions by blind review.